Interstate 77

Interstate 77 (abbreviated I-77) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S. Route 21 between Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina, as an important north–south corridor through the middle Appalachians. The southern terminus of Interstate 77 is in Columbia at the junction with Interstate 26. The northern terminus is in Cleveland at the junction with Interstate 90.

The East River Mountain Tunnel, connecting Virginia and West Virginia, is one of only two instances in the United States where a mountain road tunnel crosses a state line. The other is the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, connecting Tennessee and Kentucky.

Route description

South Carolina

I-77 begins as an eight-lane highway at I-26 in the far southeastern part of the Columbia metropolitan area. The Columbia skyline is visible from this interchange. In the Columbia area, I-77 offers easy access to Fort Jackson before meeting I-20 in the northeastern part of the city. This segment of I-77, combined with I-20 and I-26, form a beltway around Columbia, though it is not officially designated as such. In the Columbia area, the control city for northbound traffic is Charlotte, N.C., while the control city for southbound traffic is Charleston, S.C and Spartanburg, S.C. from Exit 9 to I-26.

Interstate 77 in South Carolina

Interstate 77 (I-77) is a south–north interstate highway, extending 91.2 miles (146.8 km) in the state of South Carolina, extending from the national southern terminus at an interchange with I-26 near Columbia, north to the North Carolina state line near Rock Hill and Charlotte, NC.

Route description

I-77 is designated a Blue Star Memorial Highway for its entire length in South Carolina. The highway also has a trio of designations in the Columbia area. I-77 is named the Veterans Memorial Freeway from I-26 to the Congaree River, the William Earle Berne Beltway from the river to I-20, and the Charles F. Bolden Freeway from I-20 to the Richland–Fairfield county line.

I-77 begins at a semi-directional T interchange with I-26 in the city of Cayce. The interchange includes a pair of ramps between I-77 and Charleston Highway, which carries US 21, US 176, and US 321. I-77 heads east as a six-lane freeway that crosses over CSX's Columbia Subdivision and has a diamond interchange with SC 35 (12th Street Extension). The Interstate crosses the Lexington–Richland county line on its bridge across the Congaree River. I-77 has a partial cloverleaf interchange with SC 48 (Bluff Road), crosses Gills Creek, and meets SC 768 (Shop Road) at a cloverleaf interchange.

Interstate 77 in Ohio

Interstate 77 (I-77) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S. Route 21 between Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina, as an important north–south corridor through the middle Appalachians. The southern terminus of Interstate 77 is in Columbia at the junction with Interstate 26. The northern terminus is in Cleveland at the junction with Interstate 90.

Route description

Entering from West Virginia at Marietta via the Marietta–Williamstown Interstate Bridge, Interstate 77 passes through rolling Appalachian terrain.

The interchange with I-70 at Cambridge was noted on the cover of the 1969 Ohio Department of Highways official highway map as being the "World's Largest Interchange", covering over 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land.

Other major Interstate Highways I-77 connects with in Ohio are I-76, I-80 (Ohio Turnpike), and I-90. The interchange with the Ohio Turnpike was completed December 3, 2001, providing direct access; previously, traffic had to exit at Ohio State Route 21 to get to the Turnpike.