U.S. Route 17 | |
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Route information | |
Length: | 1,206.47 mi (1,941.63 km) |
Existed: | 1926 – present |
Major junctions | |
South end: | US 41 in Punta Gorda, FL |
I‑75 in Solana, FL I‑4 in Orlando, FL I‑10 / I‑95 in Jacksonville, FL I‑16 in Savannah, GA I‑26 in Charleston, SC I‑40 at Wilmington, NC I‑64 at Newport News, VA I‑95 in Fredericksburg, VA I‑66 near Warrenton, VA I‑81 at Winchester, VA |
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North end: | US 11 / US 50 / US 522 in Winchester, VA |
Location | |
States: | Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia |
Highway system | |
U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (abbreviation U.S. 17, US 17, also known as the Coastal Highway) is a north–south United States highway. The highway spans the southeastern United States and is close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length. The highway's southern terminus is at Punta Gorda, Florida, at an intersection with U.S. Route 41. Traveling north, US 17 joins up with US 50 in Paris, Virginia, and the northern terminus of US 17 is in downtown Winchester, Virginia. This is also the point at which the portion of US 50 called the Northwestern Turnpike begins.
Though U.S. Route 1 is generally considered to be the highway that runs alongside Interstate 95, US 17 runs parallel to I-95 for much of its extent, and even shares the same route for short spans in Fredericksburg and Ridgeland. As such, Route 17 is out of sequence in the U.S. highway numbering plan (U.S. 17 would, under the plan, run parallel to and between U.S. Route 15 and U.S. Route 19; the U.S. highway following that path is instead marked U.S. Route 219).
US 17 begins in downtown Punta Gorda, Florida, at US 41 (Cross Street), just to the west of Tamiami Trail. After a brief jog east, it runs roughly north along the Peace River, through Arcadia, Zolfo Springs (where it crosses the Peace River), and Wauchula. At Fort Meade, it joins with US 98, which follows it northward (westward on US 98) until Bartow. While US 98 goes northwest, US 17 goes northeast.