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U.S. Route 301 is a spur of U.S. Route 1. It currently runs 1,099 miles (1,769 km) from Glasgow, Delaware at U.S. Route 40 to Sarasota, Florida. It passes through the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. It goes through the cities of Annapolis, Maryland; Richmond, Virginia; Petersburg, Virginia; Rocky Mount, North Carolina; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Florence, South Carolina; Statesboro, Georgia; Ocala, Florida; Zephyrhills, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Brandon, Florida; and Sarasota, Florida.
US 301 has a number of concurrencies along its route. It is multiplexed with U.S. Route 50 from Bowie, Maryland to Queenstown, Maryland, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge; with secret Interstate 595 from Bowie, Maryland to Annapolis, Maryland; and Maryland Route 5 in Waldorf, Maryland among others.
US 301 formerly had its terminus in Baltimore, Maryland. It followed the alignment of the current Maryland Route 3, portions of the Baltimore Beltway, and Maryland Route 648. Route 301 ended in Southwestern Baltimore on Monroe Street at the intersection with U.S. 1. Route 3 was supplanted north of Millersville by Interstate 97.
Major bridges
U.S. Route 301 crosses the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It crosses the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia on the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge. It crosses the James River in Richmond, Virginia on the Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge, and the Appomattox River between Colonial Heights and Petersburg, Virginia on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge.
States traversed
The highway passes through the following states:
Delaware
Parallel to US 13 and Delaware Route 1 until heading west from Middletown at Delaware Route 299.
Maryland
Concurrent with U.S. Route 50 from Bowie to Queenstown, with secret Interstate 595 from Bowie to Annapolis, and Maryland Route 5 in Waldorf, as described above.
Virginia
After crossing the Potomac River, US 301 intersects with US 17 in Port Royal. South of Fort A.P. Hill Military Reservation in Bowling Green, it moves closer to Interstate 95, until it reaches US 1 in Richmond, where it becomes concurrent with US 1 and parallel to I-95. In Petersburg, US 1 breaks away and follows Interstate 85 instead, making Route 301 the parallel route along I-95 throughout much of the Carolinas.
North Carolina
Closely paralleled by Interstate 95 throughout the state. Concurrencies include US 158 between Garysburg and Weldon, Interstate Business Loop 95 in Fayetteville, Interstate 95 between Exit 10 and Exit 22 in Lumberton, and US 501 between Rowland and Latta (South Carolina).
South Carolina
US 301 follows Interstate 95 until Santee, where it breaks away in a southwesterly direction. Concurrencies include US 501 between Rowland (North Carolina) and Latta, US 76 between Pee Dee and Florence, US 52 between Florence and Effingham, US 15 between Summerton and Santee, I-95/US 15 across Lake Marion, US 601 between Orangeburg and Bamberg, and US 321 in and around Ulmer.
Georgia
US 301 enters Georgia from Florida concurrent with U.S. Highway 1 and U.S. Highway 23, also designated as State Route 4 and State Route 15, on a bridge over the St. Marys River. In Folkston, State Route 23 and State Route 121 join. US 1, US 23, SR 4, SR 15 and SR 121 split to the northwest at a junction north of Folkston, leaving only US 301 and SR 23 to head north across U.S. Highway 82/State Route 520 at Nahunta to Jesup.
At Jesup, US 301 crosses U.S. Highway 341/State Route 27, where U.S. Highway 25 turns from US 341 onto US 301, and then merges with U.S. Highway 84/State Route 38. The combined routes (US 25, US 84, US 301, SR 23 and SR 38) cross the Altahama River to the junction with State Route 57 in Ludowici. There US 84 and SR 38 continue northeast while US 25, US 301 and SR 23 turn northwest with SR 57.
SR 23 and SR 57 split off to the northwest at Glennville. State Route 73 begins there, taking US 25 and US 301 north from Glenville across U.S. Highway 280/State Route 30 at Claxton and Interstate 16/State Route 404 to Statesboro.
US 25 and US 301 meet U.S. Highway 80/State Route 26 and State Route 67 in Statesboro. SR 67 joins south of the US 80 crossing and then turns west with US 80, as does US 25; US 25 and SR 67 split from US 80 and SR 26 about seven miles to the west. US 301 and SR 73 continue north from Statesboro through Sylvania to the Savannah River and the border with South Carolina.
Florida
Concurrencies include US 1/23 between Folkston(Georgia) and Callahan, US 441 between Sparr and Bellview, US 27 between Ocala and Bellview, US 98 between Moss Town and Clinton Heights(near Dade City), and US 41 between Palmetto and South Bradenton.
Speed trap alley
Since Route 301 is a popular short cut between Northeastern Florida and the Gulf Coast region, a number of towns along the road have been notorious speed traps. Many have accused the police in Waldo, Starke, Lawtey, and others of giving tickets simply to raise money. The American Automobile Association has strongly advised motorists to avoid this stretch of the road. A Starke Bypass has been proposed for construction by the Florida Department of Transportation for the year 2010, however, some have even gone as far as suggesting that 301 should be upgraded into a limited-access highway between Ocala and north of Jacksonville, with a possible spur to Gainesville.
See also
External links
- Endpoints of U.S. highways
- Federal Highway Administration Home Page
- Mile by Mile: U.S. Highway 301 Travel Guide - Georgia/Florida State Line to the City of Ocala
- US 301 @ Florida in Kodachrome
- AAA Speed Trap Billboards