US 276  < US 221 | Home | US 278 >

From: Mauldin (Greenville County) To: North Carolina State Line at Caesar's Head (Greenville County) Total Length: 43.4 miles   Nationally, US 276 runs from Mauldin to I-40 Cove Creek, NC.
ROUTE LOG I-185 (exit 1), I-385 (exit 30): 0 - 0 SC 417: 0.8 - 0.8 I-85 (exit 48): 3.6 - 4.4 SC 146: 1.4 - 5.8 SC 291: 1.3 - 7.1 I-385 (exit 42), I-385 BUS: 1.4 - 8.5 US 29: 0.5 - 9 SC 253, SC 291: 3 - 12 US 25 SB: 4.6 - 16.6 US 25 NB: 0.7 - 17.3 SC 414: 4.5 - 21.8 SC 186: 1.2 - 23 SC 288: 0.3 - 23.3 SC 11 NB: 4.3 - 27.6 SC 11 SB: 5.7 - 33.3 SC 8: 0.8 - 34.1 NC STATE LINE: 9.3 - 43.4		Creation: Appeared in South Carolina in late 1932, the same year it appeared nationally. It ran from US 76 Laurens to Brevard, NC. US 276 was routed out of Laurens along today's SC 14 northwest through Owings, Gray Court, Fountain Inn and Simpsonville, then followed today's SC 417 to Mauldin and today's US 276 through Greenville along Laurens Rd to E. North St west to N. Main St to College St. to Buncombe Street northwest away from Greenville along what is now Old Buncombe Hwy. US 276 followed this up to Furman Univ. then today's US 276 through Travelers Rest, Marietta, and on up to North Carolina at Caesar's Head. US 276 replaced US 76 from Laurens to Greenville (but still had a multiplex with SC 2); multiplexed from Greenville to Travelers Rest with US 25; replaced original SC 284 from Travelers Rest to North Carolina. Adjustments: In 1948, the SC 2 multiplex was dropped from Greenville to Laurens. Sometime between 1939-48, US 276 was rerouted within the city of Greenville to today's routing using Stone Ave to Rutherford St. to Poinsett Hwy. What happened to the old routing is a little murky. Part of it became US 276 Business (some of which is now I-385 Business), which tied back in at Rutherford at Stone. 1938-1942 Maps showed the Old Buncombe Hwy and Poinsett Hwys as primary routes but did not label either. The 1948 map shows only the Poinsett Hwy as primary. A little piece of Buncombe Rd became SC 416 in 1948 (SC 183 today) and Old Buncombe Hwy is S-23-13. In 1957 or 1958, US 276 was placed on new freeway alignment between Mauldin and just south of Fountain Inn. The old route became SC 417 from Mauldin to Simpsonville and SC 14 through Fountain Inn. Between 1959-61, US 276 was moved onto a new freeway between Fountain Inn and the new I-26 near Clinton. The old route became more of SC 14 to Laurens. The Clinton-Mauldin freeway was renumbered as today's I-385 in about 1985. Improvements: Fully paved upon designation. The first multilane sections of US 276 was the new construction from Mauldin to Fountain Inn, in 1957 or 1958. The next sections to be upgraded were Furman University to Travelers Rest and the new freeway from Fountain Inn to I-26, both in 1960-61. Between 1962-64, US 276 was 4-laned on all its US 25 multiplex and from SC 146 east to I-26. In 1971 or 1972, US 276 was 4-laned from SC 146 west to I-385. Between 1974-77, US 276 was 4-laned through the rest of Downtown Greenville. In 1978 or 1979, US 276 was 4-laned from Travelers Rest to Marietta. Comment: US 276 provides the best opportunity for serious mountain driving within South Carolina on a decent surface, as from SC 8 northward it is pretty twisty. With the extension of I-385 the importance of US 276 has declined seriously in South Carolina.

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