Interstate 77

Interstate 77 is an interstate highway in the eastern United States. Its southern terminus is in Columbia, South Carolina at an intersection with Interstate 26; its northern terminus is in Cleveland, Ohio at an intersection with Interstate 90.

It largely supplants the old U.S. Highway 21 between Cleveland and Columbia as one of the best north-south corridors through the middle Appalachians.

Length

Location of Interstate 77

	edit Three-digit Interstates from Interstate 77
I-277	Ohio - North Carolina

In South Carolina, the southern terminus of I-77 in Columbia, South Carolina was originally the interchange with SC 12 with mile markers signed accordingly. The portion between SC 760 and I-26 was planned to be an interstate spur named I-326. The decision to build the section between SC 12 and SC 760 was made before I-326 was opened, so the southern portion was never signed as such and the mile markers for I-77 were adjusted accordingly.

In Rock Hill, South Carolina and Fort Mill, South Carolina, I-77 has been widened to eight lanes between Exit 75 and the North Carolina state line.

I-77 in Charlotte, North Carolina is also known as the "Bill Lee Freeway". A small portion south of the city is called the "General Younts Expressway". The junction between I-77 and I-85 in Charlotte is a rather odd configuration. When I-77 crosses over I-85, the northbound lanes are to the west of the southbound lanes. The lanes return to their proper positions north and south of this interchange.

As I-77 crosses over Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, spectacular views of the largest man-made lake in North Carolina can be seen. This stretch of the interstate has a history of major accidents as motorists slow to look at the lake, boaters (who are sometimes nude), and lake homes. Once a speed boat landed on the interstate at this section after hitting the causeway the interstate crosses over.

I-77 passes through the "Virginia High-Tech Corridor", which could strike some as ironic, since I-77 passes through one of the most rural sections of Virginia.

The steep grade on the side of a plateau near Fancy Gap, Virginia affords a breathtaking view of the region just north of Winston-Salem, featuring Pilot Mountain, although it is advisable for the driver to keep at least one eye on the road.

The section of I-77 between Wytheville, Virginia, and Bluefield, West Virginia, contains two mountain tunnels, the East River Mountain Tunnel and the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel. Both tunnels permit lane changes while inside.

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

The West Virginia Turnpike is also signed as I-77 for its entire length. This 88 mile (142 km) section, between Charleston and Princeton is a toll road.

During the 9 mile stretch where I-77 and I-81 merge in Virginia, the driver is heading "both north and south" on a wrong-way multiplex.

I-77 is also the "Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway", although it is never referred to as this and signage is sparse (possibly only in Ohio does the freeway carry this designation).

There were originally plans to extend I-77 as far north as Detroit, along the Ohio Turnpike, I-75 and I-94. Had this extension taken place, the spur into Cleveland would have been renamed I-177.

edit Primary Interstate Highways
4	5	8	10	12	15	16	17
19	20	22	24	25	26	27	29
30	35	37	39	40	43	44	45
49	55	57	59	64	65	66	68
69	70	71	72	73	74	75	76 (W)
76 (E)	77	78	79	80	81	82	83
84 (W)	84 (E)	85	86 (W)	86 (E)	87	88 (W)	88 (E)
89	90	91	93	94	95	96	97
99	238	H-1	H-2	H-3
Unsigned Interstate Highways
A-1	A-2	A-3	A-4	PRI-1	PRI-2	PRI-3
Lists Two-digit Interstates - Three-digit Interstates Gaps in Interstates - Intrastate Interstates Interstate standards - Proposed Interstates