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The Highways of South Carolina US 29 
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US 52
From: Georgia State Line (Anderson County)
To: North Carolina State Line at Grover, NC (Cherokee County)
Total Length: 106.4 miles  
Nationally, US 29 runs from US 90-98 Pensacola, Fl to MD 99 Ellicott City, MD.
ROUTE LOG
GA STATE LINE: 0 - 0
SC 412: 2.8 - 2.8
SC 187: 1.3 - 4.1
US 29 Bus: 8.8 - 12.9
SC 81 SB: 1.2 - 14.1
SC 28: 0.1 - 14.2
SC 81 NB: 0.1 - 14.3
SC 28 Bus: 0.5 - 14.8
US 76 WB, US 178 WB: 1.7 - 16.5
US 76 EB, US 178 EB: 0.6 - 17.1
US 29 Bus: 1.1 - 18.2
SC 20 CONN: 7.5 - 22.7
SC 8: 4.7 - 27.4
I-85 SB (exit 34): 2 - 29.4
SC 86: 1 - 30.4
SC 153: 5 - 35.4
Greenville-Anderson Line: 0.4 - 35.8
I-85 NB (exit 42), I-185 SB (exit 14): 1.4 - 37.2
US 25: 1.1 - 38.3
END I-185: 1.5 - 39.8
SC 20: 1.2 - 41
SC 183: 1.5 - 42.5
US 123: 0.4 - 42.9
US 276: 0.4 - 43.3
SC 291: 2 - 45.3
SC 101, SC 290: 7.5 - 52.8
SC 14: 1.9 - 54.7
Spartanburg-Greenville Line: 0.2 - 54.9
SC 357: 0.4 - 55.3
SC 80: 1.5 - 56.8
SC 129, SC 292, SC 358: 3.5 - 60.3
I-85 (exit 66): 3.2 - 63.5
I-26 (exit 21): 4.5 - 68
SC 295: 0.4 - 68.4
SC 296: 3.3 - 71.7
US 221, SC 56: 0.2 - 71.9
I-585 SPUR, US 176, SC 9: 0.7 - 72.6
SC 110: 8.9 - 81.5
Cherokee-Spartanburg Line: 1 - 82.5
SC 105: 8.8 - 91.3
SC 11, SC 18, SC 150: 1.2 - 92.5
SC 329: 4 - 96.5
SC 5 WB: 4.3 - 100.8
SC 198: 0.3 - 101.1
SC 5 EB: 0.4 - 101.5
I-85 (exit 105): 4.5 - 106
NC STATE LINE: 0.4 - 106.4
Creation: Appeared in 1927 as an original US highway. Very generally ran the way it does now through Anderson, Greenville, Greer, Spartanburg, Gaffney, and Blacksburg. US 29 was assigned to the entirety of SC 8.
In 1928, SC 8 was dropped from all of US 29 except for the current SC 8-81 duplex.
In 1935, US 29 was rerouted onto new alignment from Anderson to Greenville. Originally, US 29 followed Greenville Rd straight out of Anderson, following that to Greenville arriving on Old Anderson Rd, then east on Pendleton Rd to Main St. This became SC 81 (also now a small piece of SC 124). Instead, US 29 left Anderson via Williamson Rd, following the route to Williamston, Pelzer, and Piedmont, before entering Greenville on Grove Rd, Allen St, and Pendleton St to Main St. This was a replacement of SC 248 from Anderson to Williamston and SC 20 from there to Greenville.
In 1938, US 29 was rerouted from central Greenville northward. Originally, US 29 followed Main St to Buncombe Rd to Rutherford Av to Camp Rd heading to Greer. This routing became US 29 ALT (S-23-21 today). The new routing follows today's Main St to Stone Ave to Wade Hampton Blvd.
Between 1943-46, US 29 was given a new alignment bypassing Green and Duncan, leaving behind SC 290 and a tiny part of SC 292.
As early as 1947, a bypass of Anderson to the south may have become US 29 Bypass. Early 40s official maps show an unnumbered primary routing on this alignment, though unpaved. The old routing through Anderson became US 29 Business.
In 1948, US 29 was rerouted to enter Greenville from the south via Grove Rd and Augusta Rd. instead of Allen St/Green St. The 1948 Official map shows both routes as primary but labels neither. The 1949 Official shows Grove Rd. only. The old route is S-23-5 today.
In 1954 or 1955, US 29 was totally rerouted from Lyman to the North Carolina State Line on a new 2-lane superhighway that bypassed Spartanburg, Cowpens, Gaffney, and Blacksburg. The old route through these places became US 29 ALT.
In 1957 or 1958, US 29 was rerouted to avoid Williamston, Pelzer, and Piedmont, via a new Super-2 highway west of the Saluda River. This left behind the US 29-SC 20 CONN and an extended SC 20. This rerouting also included a new 2-lane road east to connect with US 25 and SC 291. US 29 was placed on this and duplexed with SC 291 around to Wade Hampton Blvd. This left a US 29 Business through Greenville.
In 1959, I-85 was assigned to US 29 from Spartanburg to North Carolina.
In 1962, US 29 was removed from I-85 from Spartanburg to North Carolina and put back on its original routing, replacing US 29 ALT. This also left behind today's SC 129. Also in this timeframe, US 29 was taken off SC 291 and rerouted back through Greenville with the new I-185 which connected directly via Church St. to Wade Hampton Blvd. This eliminated US 29 Business in Greenville. The piece across to US 25-SC 291 became part of I-85. Also in this timeframe, US 29 was rerouted at the Georgia State Line from SC 412 southward to avoid a wider part of the new Lake Hartwell. Most of the old US 29 here went underwater.
In 1974, US 29 was rerouted in central Spartanburg over St. Johns Ave instead of Main St.
Improvements: When designated in 1927, US 29 was paved around Anderson; Greenville to Taylors; Lyman to Clifton; around Gaffney.
In 1928, US 29 was paved from Anderson to Blacksburg
In 1929 or 1930, US 29 was paved from Blacksburg to the NC Line.
The last piece of US 29 to be paved, from the Georgia line to Anderson occurred in 1934.
The first piece of US 29 to be 4-laned was from Greenville to Spartanburg, by 1946.
In 1954 or 1955, US 29 lost 4-lane mileage when it was placed on the current I-85 corridor around Spartanburg/Gaffney, which originally had only a short 4-lane segment with a SC 18 multiplex.
In 1956, US 29 was 4-laned on the Anderson Bypass between SC 28 and US 76-178.
In 1959, US 29 was 4-laned on its entire I-85 multiplex.
In 1962, US 29 lost 4-lane mileage again when it was taken off I-85 in the Spartanburg/Gaffney area, returning to just Greenville to Spartanburg plus the small Anderson piece. Also, US 29 was 4-laned on the new I-185 about this time.
In 1963, US 29 was 4-laned on the US 76-178 multiplex.
Between 1965-67, US 29 was 4-laned on its current I-85 multiplex south of I-185.
By 1974, US 29 was multilaned from Spartanburg to Cowpens and also in the Gaffney area.
Comment: US 29 serves a burgeoning corridor from Anderson to Gaffney, running right through the downtown areas of Greenville and Spartanburg. South of Anderson the route is still very quiet and rural.
A carolina cutout remained on Main St. Spartanburg just north of US 221 well into the 1990s.
US 29BUSINESS
From: US 29 near Anderson (Anderson County)
To: US 29 Anderson (Anderson County)
Total Length:6.6 miles  
ROUTE LOG
US 29: 0 - 0
SC 28: 1.1 - 1.1
SC 81 SB: 1.2 - 2.3
US 76 EB, US 178 EB: 0.5 - 2.8
SC 24: 0.2 - 3
US 76 WB, US 178 WB: 0.4 - 3.4
SC 28 Bus: 0.1 - 3.5
SC 81 NB: 0.5 - 4
US 29: 2.6 - 6.6
Creation: Appeared as early as 1947, running as it does now. It was mainline US 29 prior to this.
Adjustments: By 1962, US 29 Business was taken off Main St and put on Murray Ave
Improvements: Fully paved from inception; multilane on Murray Ave and some of Greenville St north out of downtown.
Comment: US 29 Business for Anderson uses Sayre St, Murray Ave, Greenville St, and Williamston Rd.
US 29 Business was once part of SC 8 except for Murray Ave (no previous routings) and Williamston Rd (also no previous routings).
US 29 Business  Returned to Sender
Previous US 29 Business: US 29 Business: Appeared in 1957 or 1958 as US 29 was placed on a bypass around the south and east of Greenville.
US 29 Business followed Grove Rd., Augusta St, N. Main St, Elford St, and Wade Hampton Blvd.
US 29 Business may have been rerouted onto Church St to connect directly with Wade Hampton Blvd before re-assuming mainline US 29 status in 1962.
The Grove St-Augusta St part is now part of SC 20.
US 29 ALT  Decommissioned
Previous US 29 ALTs: US 29 ALT #1: The 1939 Texaco Map Greenville inset shows this following US 29's new 1935 routing south out of Greenville while US 29 was multiplexed with SC 81. The '39 Official Map is vague. No other map I have shows this. Today this is mostly SC 20.

US 29 ALT #2: Appeared in 1938 as a renumbering of mainline US 29. Ran from Greenville north on Main St to Buncombe Rd to Rutherford Av to Camp Rd heading to Greer. This was downgraded to S-23-21 in 1948.

US 29 ALT #3: Appeared in 1954 or 1955 as a renumbering of US 29 through Spartanburg, Cowpens, Gaffney, and Blacksburg, as US 29 was placed on today's I-85 corridor. US 29 ALT returned to being mainline US 29 in 1962, which it remains today save using Main St through innermost Spartanburg.

Last Update: 29 March 2006

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