 Interstate 77 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 I-77 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
| Length | 105.7 mi[1][2] (170.1 km) | |||
| Existed | 1965–present | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   I-77 / US 21 at the South Carolina line near Fort Mill, SC | |||
| ||||
| North end | I-77 at the Virginia line near Mount Airy | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | North Carolina | |||
| Counties | Mecklenburg, Iredell, Yadkin, Surry | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Interstate 77 (I-77) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 610.10 miles (981.86 km) from Cayce, South Carolina to Cleveland, Ohio. In the U.S. state of North Carolina, I-77 travels a total of 105.7 miles (170.1 km) from the South Carolina state line in the city of Charlotte to the Virginia state line north of Mount Airy. The major landscapes traversed by I-77 include the city of Charlotte and its urban core, the smaller suburban communities in the Piedmont region, and the rural foothills of Western North Carolina. The Interstate has one auxiliary route, I-277, a partial beltway around Uptown.
The freeway bears several names in addition to the I-77 designation. Throughout the state, the freeway is known as the Blue Star Memorial Highway, a name shared with multiple Interstates across the state. Starting at the South Carolina state line, it is known as the General Paul R. Younts Expressway, switching at Woodlawn Road to the Bill Lee Freeway, ending at the Mecklenburg–Iredell county line. In Surry County, it is known as the Charles M. Shelton Highway.[3][4][5] Not originally part of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, I-77 was added the following year as a route between Charlotte and Port Huron, Michigan, via Detroit, Michigan. In 1958, the routing was realigned toward Cleveland instead; the Detroit–Port Huron section became part of I-94. I-77 received two extension approvals; the first in 1964, continuing south from I-85 to US Route 74 (US 74), and the second in 1969 to the South Carolina state line toward Columbia. The Interstate was completed in 1977.
- ^ "I-77 in NC" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ^ "Route Log – Main Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways – Table 1". Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "Blue Star Memorial Highways Fact Sheet" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ "General Paul R. Younts Expressway". Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ^ "Road and Bridge Namings in North Carolina" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. July 30, 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2018.