Quickest Route From Pittsburgh, PA to North Myrtle Beach, SC?
jdb...@gmail.com
NWB back to Pittsburgh? It seems most mapping sites (Google, Yahoo)
stay away from I95 which is fine with me. I'd assume that heading down
77 through WV is the standard route. Any tips from there? Thanks!
Scott M. Kozel
Per Google Maps, the route via I-79 and I-77 looks better than
via I-95 --
Via I-79 and I-77 -- 617 mi – about 10 hours 46 mins
Via PA Turnpike, I-70 and I-95 -- 660 mi – about 11 hours 1 min
--
Scott M. Kozel Highway and Transportation History Websites
Virginia/Maryland/Washington, D.C. http://www.roadstothefuture.com
Capital Beltway Projects http://www.capital-beltway.com
Philadelphia and Delaware Valley http://www.pennways.com
Adam Prince
Both are about equalt 11-12 hours...there are traffic tie-ups you can
hit both ways.
I-77 with construction at the Big Walker Tunnel.
Heavy capacity on I-77 south of I-81 until the NC line.
Charlotte and Independence Blvd can be a pain with all the lights on a
weekend.
I-95 is gonna be heavy from DC to Richmond and in NC the road is
always a pain on summer weekends.
We always took 79, 19, 77, 74, US 52 to SC 9 into North Myrtle. And
came home via SC 9, I-95, US 17, US 50, I-81, VA 37, US 522, and I-68
to US 40.
Kevin Stark
<jdb...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:938d5cc5-3fc6-4d9f...@z66g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
We go through there every year to Sunset Beach, NC. Take I-77 to I-74 to
US-52 into the outskirts of Winston-Salem. Take US 421/I-40 to Greensboro
and then US 220/Future I-73/Future I-74 south to Rockingham. Follow US 74
over to where you peel off at Whiteville on NC 130. Take NC 130 to NC 905 to
SC 9. That drops you in North Myrtle Beach.
Google Maps will tell you to go through longer two-lane sections in either
NC or SC depending upon how far north or south in Myrtle you are. My advice
would be to stay on US 74 as long as possible. Both US 74 and US 220 for
those stretches are almost completely freeway now (in preparation for the
"Future I-73/I-74") and both have relatively little traffic. Adam Prince
mentioned in another reply that Big Walker Mountain Tunnel in WVA has
construction. Actually both that tunnel and the East River Tunnel have
construction going on this summer. There is also work on a railroad tressle
at the WVA/VA state line just north of East River Mountain Tunnel. I
traveled through there on weekend mornings both directions without issue in
June. The road was down to one lane in each direction in all three of those
areas. The busiest stretch in my experience is I-77. Once you hit US 220 in
Greensboro, it is easy duty.
jdb...@gmail.com
Thanks, Any reason why the different route on the way back? Less
congestion vs using 74 to 77? I was thinking about the I-81 route but
it seems like you have to travel east quite a while until you hit 95.
I guess for an eastern route, that would get you around the DC
backups.
I used to live in both Raleigh and Charlotte so I'm at least familiar
with both routes although I've never taken 74 south of Greensboro.
How is it? I see that Yahoo uses 77 all the way to Columbia then over
on 501. That would seem to take much longer. I've also seen some
people suggest taking I-40 down the eastern NC coast to US 17, not
sure what there is to gain with that.
SP Cook
I-79 SOUTH to Exit 57 in West Virginia.
US 19 SOUTH (AKA Corridor L) to Beckley (warning multiple speed traps,
especially Summersville)
I-77 SOUTH ($1.50 toll in WV) through Virginia and into North Carolina
Take first exit in NC, which is a left exit, marked I-74
I-74 EAST, it ends just past Mount Airy, but the road really just
continues as US 52 SOUTH, which is still a 4-lane.
At Winston-Salem take I-40 EAST (it really does not matter if you take
I-40, or Business I-40, which will join I-40 before your exit anyway).
In Greensboro, take Exit 218, US 220, also marked as "Future I-73/74"
Continue on US 220 SOUTH (it is best to ignore the I-73/74 signage)
(this is a 4-lane interstate quality road),
US 220 ends at US 1 in Rockingham (warning speed trap)
Continue on US 1 SOUTH (which is a surface street) for about one mile
to US 74 (NOT Business 74, which you will come to first)
Take US 74 EAST for 8 miles to Exit 319
Take Exit 319 to NC 38 SOUTH
NC 38 SOUTH to state line where it becomes SC 38 (this is a two lane
road, but trust me, this will be OK)
Continue on SC 38 to Bennettsville
Follow as needed:
FOR NORTHERN NMB:
Take SC 9 EAST out of Bennettsville, it will become a 4-lane road
about halfway to NMB
ends at ocean very near the NC/SC line.
FOR SOUTHERN NMB and MB:
Continue on SC 38 until it ends at US 501, just inside the Dillon
County line (DO NOT GET ON I-95).
Continue on US 501 (4-lane) towards Marion (signage will read "BEACH
ROUTE")
At Knotty Branch, you can take SC 22, which is an interstate quality
highway, but underposted at 55, which is thus a speed trap. It hits
the ocean just at the Colonial Mall area between NMB and MB (which do
not border one another). Or you can continue on US 501 which comes
out right in downtown MB, but requires a trip through Conway.
SP Cook
Steve Sobol
> Per Google Maps, the route via I-79 and I-77 looks better than
> via I-95 --
>
> Via I-79 and I-77 -- 617 mi – about 10 hours 46 mins
>
> Via PA Turnpike, I-70 and I-95 -- 660 mi – about 11 hours 1 min
That's a big 15 minute difference, there.
Having driven I-77 through VA and NC, and having driven the Turnpike, I would
choose I-77, but because it's a prettier drive, not because it's faster.
--
Steve Sobol, Victorville, CA PGP:0xE3AE35ED www.SteveSobol.com
Geek-for-hire. Details: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesobol
Scott M. Kozel
>
> Scott M. Kozel <koz...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> > Per Google Maps, the route via I-79 and I-77 looks better than via I-95 --
> >
> > Via I-79 and I-77 -- 617 mi – about 10 hours 46 mins
> > Via PA Turnpike, I-70 and I-95 -- 660 mi – about 11 hours 1 min
>
> That's a big 15 minute difference, there.
>
> Having driven I-77 through VA and NC, and having driven the Turnpike, I would
> choose I-77, but because it's a prettier drive, not because it's faster.
With the cost of fuel and tolls, saving 43 miles, and having much less
WVA Turnpike distance compared to the PA Turnpike distance, plus
avoiding any traffic problems around the D.C. area, seems well worth
taking the route via I-79 and I-77.
H.B. Elkins
I-77 to I-20 (not sure if you need to use I-26 or not) would seem to be the most
logical direct route.
--
To reply by e-mail, remove the "restrictor plate"
H.B. Elkins
>Google Maps will tell you to go through longer two-lane sections in either
>NC or SC depending upon how far north or south in Myrtle you are. My advice
>would be to stay on US 74 as long as possible. Both US 74 and US 220 for
>those stretches are almost completely freeway now (in preparation for the
>"Future I-73/I-74") and both have relatively little traffic. Adam Prince
>mentioned in another reply that Big Walker Mountain Tunnel in WVA has
>construction. Actually both that tunnel and the East River Tunnel have
>construction going on this summer. There is also work on a railroad tressle
>at the WVA/VA state line just north of East River Mountain Tunnel.
That railroad bridge is between the US 460 Princeton/Pearisburg and US 52
Bluefield exits. Easy to bypass using US 19 south/US 460 west to US 52 south if
traffic backups occur.
H.B. Elkins
>Having driven I-77 through VA and NC, and having driven the Turnpike, I would
>choose I-77, but because it's a prettier drive, not because it's faster.
Reading all these different suggestions has made me realize how much the
transportation network has changed over the past 30 years.
My family's one trip to Myrtle was in 1979. We took KY 11 south to US 25E to
Morristown, Tenn., then I-81 south for 8 miles and then hit I-40, which we took
to Asheville, where we hit I-26 south (yes I know it says "east" but it's really
going mostly south) and took that into South Carolina, then we hit I-20 east
until its end. I think we got on I-95 north for a few miles and then took an
exit that led us to some US route which I can't remember. (May have been one of
the x01's) and we went east on that and then south on US 701 to Myrtle.
Now we'd probably go south on US 23 through Kingsport and Asheville and then out
on I-26. Or we might do one of the routes involving I-77 and US 52 through
Winston-Salem.
The preferred route to the Outer Banks has likely changed too. We used to do the
same bit to get to I-40 east in Tennessee and through North Carolina. This was
back when I-40 wasn't built east of Black Mountain down the mountain and it
ended temporarily in this area, and it ended at Death Valley in Greensboro and
didn't continue on to Raleigh. It was pretty much a two-day drive because US 64
was a two-lane road through small towns in Eastern North Carolina. One year
there was flooding on our preferred surface route getting to US 25E in Kentucky
so we opted for the Norton-Abingdon-Wytheville (and this was before the
interstate was finished in the Wytheville area) and then south on I-77 to the
Hillsville area, then south on US 52 down Fancy Gap. Turned out to be a real
time-saver.
The moral of the story is that although the interstate system changed traffic
patterns in the 50s and 60s, there have been changes made since that time that
have continued to make it faster and easier to get to Point A to Point B.
jdb...@gmail.com
wrote:
> We go through there every year to Sunset Beach, NC. Take I-77 to I-74 to
> US-52 into the outskirts of Winston-Salem. Take US 421/I-40 to Greensboro
> and then US 220/Future I-73/Future I-74 south to Rockingham. Follow US 74
> over to where you peel off at Whiteville on NC 130. Take NC 130 to NC 905 to
> SC 9. That drops you in North Myrtle Beach.
Thanks for your insight. Do you think that going all the way to
Whiteville then down 130, 905, 9 is costing time by going too far out
of the way? It seems that this route circles around a bit. What
about jumping off 74 at SC 410 then catching 701 then 9? Maybe those
roads especially 410 are not big enough to move freely. The other
option would be getting off 74 earlier (right past intersection of
I95) to SC 41 then 9. Obviously I'm just going by the maps. I've
never been on any of these routes personally so anybody who has been
there please advise. I do agree with your original analysis that
staying on 74 for a long as possible would probably be the best
bet...just trying to tweak the final points of the trip.
Arif Khokar
> Google Maps will tell you to go through longer two-lane sections in either
> NC or SC depending upon how far north or south in Myrtle you are. My advice
> would be to stay on US 74 as long as possible. Both US 74 and US 220 for
> those stretches are almost completely freeway now (in preparation for the
> "Future I-73/I-74") and both have relatively little traffic. Adam Prince
> mentioned in another reply that Big Walker Mountain Tunnel in WVA has
> construction. Actually both that tunnel and the East River Tunnel have
> construction going on this summer. There is also work on a railroad tressle
> at the WVA/VA state line just north of East River Mountain Tunnel. I
> traveled through there on weekend mornings both directions without issue in
> June.
One way to bypass the tunnels is to take exit 9 on I-77, take US-460
east all the way to Christiansburg, VA (about 60 miles), and then take
I-81S to Wytheville and take I-77S from there. I'm not sure how much
distance that adds to the trip between Princeton, WV and Wytheville, VA
though.
Kevin Stark
<jdb...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ee89db38-812d-4ed7...@l64g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
Thanks for your insight. Do you think that going all the way to
Whiteville then down 130, 905, 9 is costing time by going too far out
of the way? It seems that this route circles around a bit. What
about jumping off 74 at SC 410 then catching 701 then 9? Maybe those
roads especially 410 are not big enough to move freely. The other
option would be getting off 74 earlier (right past intersection of
I95) to SC 41 then 9. Obviously I'm just going by the maps. I've
never been on any of these routes personally so anybody who has been
there please advise. I do agree with your original analysis that
staying on 74 for a long as possible would probably be the best
bet...just trying to tweak the final points of the trip.
The short answer is "I don't know". The two-lane roads down there tend to be
narrow, somewhat winding, but not highly traveled. I believe SP Cook
suggested a longer stretch on those specific two-lane roads. I don't have
experience on many of them, so I can't refute anything he says. I've only
traveled on NC 130, NC 904, NC 905, and a little of SC 9. I personally would
stick to my suggestion just on sheer gut instinct, but he has seen those
roads and I have not.
Adam Prince
> On Jul 6, 7:37 pm, Adam Prince <aprinc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Jul 6, 7:01 pm, jdbs...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > > What is the quickest route from Pittsburgh to NWB, and obviously from
> > > NWB back to Pittsburgh? It seems most mapping sites (Google, Yahoo)
> > > stay away from I95 which is fine with me. I'd assume that heading down
> > > 77 through WV is the standard route. Any tips from there? Thanks!
>
> > Both are about equalt 11-12 hours...there are traffic tie-ups you can
> > hit both ways.
>
> > I-77 with construction at the Big Walker Tunnel.
> > Heavy capacity on I-77 south of I-81 until the NC line.
> > Charlotte and Independence Blvd can be a pain with all the lights on a
> > weekend.
>
> > I-95 is gonna be heavy from DC to Richmond and in NC the road is
> > always a pain on summer weekends.
>
> > We always took 79, 19, 77, 74, US 52 to SC 9 into North Myrtle. And
> > came home via SC 9, I-95, US 17, US 50, I-81, VA 37, US 522, and I-68
> > to US 40.
>
> Thanks, Any reason why the different route on the way back? Less
> congestion vs using 74 to 77? I was thinking about the I-81 route but
> it seems like you have to travel east quite a while until you hit 95.
> I guess for an eastern route, that would get you around the DC
> backups.
No reason....just wanted to do a different route back.
>
> I used to live in both Raleigh and Charlotte so I'm at least familiar
> with both routes although I've never taken 74 south of Greensboro.
> How is it? I see that Yahoo uses 77 all the way to Columbia then over
> on 501. That would seem to take much longer. I've also seen some
> people suggest taking I-40 down the eastern NC coast to US 17, not
> sure what there is to gain with that.- Hide quoted text -
All are good options...and there are drawbacks to each one.
Tolls..construction...congestion...etc.
Most are within a half hour of each other...so unless you need to be
at North Myrtle at a certain time....it really doesn't matter.
Adam Prince
<kevo97J...@SENDhotSPAMmailELSEWHERE.com> wrote:
> <jdbs...@gmail.com> wrote in message
Pretty much all of his options NC 130, NC 41, NC 904 etc are all six
to one half dozen to the other. Rural two lanes...goes through a
small town now and then.
SP Cook
>
> One way to bypass the tunnels is to take exit 9 on I-77, take US-460
> east all the way to Christiansburg, VA (about 60 miles), and then take
> I-81S to Wytheville and take I-77S from there. I'm not sure how much
> distance that adds to the trip between Princeton, WV and Wytheville, VA
> though.
The tunnel work is really not the main source of the current
problems. It can be predicted, in any event, because signage both
near Beckley and Wytheville reads "Tunnel Restictions (NOT) in
effect". If the "not" is up, its OK. The main issue is the total
rebuild of a small bridge between Exit 9 and 1, which constricts
traffic to one lane in each direction. The signed bypass for this
work is to exit at 9 - Princeton and then take US 460 West to US 52
South, re-entering at Exit 1 just at the tunnel. This is really the
exact same length between the exits, and a 4 lane, its just plagued
with traffic lights and at-grade intersections.
If the first tunnel is an issue, one can also continue on US 460 for
another mile and then take WV/VA 598, which is the pre-tunnel US 52,
and which would come out just south of the tunnel at the first exit in
Virginia. Its not a bad road and quite scenic. A similar, but less
well maintained, road exists as a bypass of the more southern tunnel
as well.
Taking US 460 East to I-81 South to Wytheville is about an hour and 15
minutes out of the way.
If the OP were to want to miss the tunnels, the best thing to do would
be to take US 460 East, but then I-81 North to I-581, which becomes US
220 and then follow US 220 as described earlier.
SP Cook
H.B. Elkins
> If the first tunnel is an issue, one can also continue on US 460 for
>another mile and then take WV/VA 598, which is the pre-tunnel US 52,
>and which would come out just south of the tunnel at the first exit in
>Virginia. Its not a bad road and quite scenic. A similar, but less
>well maintained, road exists as a bypass of the more southern tunnel
>as well.
I concur about 598. For a major mountain crossing, the road is quite straight
and is devoid of switchbacks. The only real curves are right at the top of the
mountain at the state line. Very scenic indeed -- nice views of Bluefield on the
WV side (there are a couple of places to stop for photos) and a tree-lined drive
on the VA side that I can only imagine would be gorgeous in the fall.
>Taking US 460 East to I-81 South to Wytheville is about an hour and 15
>minutes out of the way.
>
>If the OP were to want to miss the tunnels, the best thing to do would
>be to take US 460 East, but then I-81 North to I-581, which becomes US
>220 and then follow US 220 as described earlier.
I was going to suggest the same -- if you're already that close to Roanoke and
you're going to end up in Greensboro anyway, just take 220 -- except that a
decent chunk of 220 is two lanes in North Carolina and it's very stop-and-go as
you approach Greensboro. I wonder if NC 68 to I-40 might not be a faster route
than staying on 220 through Battleground Avenue and Wendover Avenue.
(I just drove 220 north from Greensboro to Martinsville last week and found
myself quite frustrated at all the traffic and the lights I had to deal with.)
SP Cook
wrote:
> I concur about 598. For a major mountain crossing, the road is quite straight
> and is devoid of switchbacks. The only real curves are right at the top of the
> mountain at the state line. Very scenic indeed -- nice views of Bluefield on the
> WV side (there are a couple of places to stop for photos) and a tree-lined drive
> on the VA side that I can only imagine would be gorgeous in the fall.
>
Just as an aside, the area right at the top of the mountain, before
the tunnel opened (1973, IIRC) was the home of several "cross border"
businesses (multiple stores,bars, and so on, selling products which
were illegal or taxed in the other). All long ago went bankrupt and
the abandoned buildings and parking lots became the local teenager
hangout. The city of Bluefield (which, oddly enough has alway
included the mountain within its city limits) recently obtained
ownership of the entire area (including the land on the VA side) and
wants to develop it into some kind of tourist attraction.
On a more unhappy note, the Greyhound used to stop on top of the
mountain, because WV (while it had other types of segregation,
including of schools) did not require blacks to set in the back of the
bus.
SP Cook