Primary route
I-77
Columbia to Cleveland
Length612.4 mi
Designated1958
States5
Junctions9
About I-77
From Columbia, SC (I-26) to Cleveland, OH (I-90)
Interstate 77 is a north-south route running about 614 miles from Columbia, South Carolina, north through North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia to Cleveland, Ohio. It crosses the Piedmont and the Appalachian Mountains, linking the Carolinas with the industrial centers of West Virginia and Ohio. The route serves a varied landscape, from rolling Piedmont country to deep mountain valleys and the Lake Erie plain.
From Columbia the road runs north through Charlotte, North Carolina, and Statesville before climbing into the mountains of Virginia, where it briefly overlaps Interstate 81 near Wytheville in a wrong-way concurrency. It then crosses into West Virginia, where it follows the West Virginia Turnpike through the southern mountains and passes through the East River Mountain Tunnel at the Virginia-West Virginia border. Continuing north it serves Charleston and Parkersburg before reaching Ohio and ending at Cleveland.
The corridor combines metropolitan traffic around Charlotte and Cleveland with long mountain stretches in between. The West Virginia Turnpike section is tolled and includes some of the most rugged terrain on the route. The road provides an important connection between the Carolinas and the Ohio valley that avoids the busier corridors farther east.
State-by-state mileage
| State | Miles |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | 90.2 |
| North Carolina | 105.7 |
| Virginia | 66.3 |
| West Virginia | 187.2 |
| Ohio | 163.0 |
| Total | 612.4 |
History
Interstate 77 was designated in 1958 and built over the following decades across five states. The West Virginia Turnpike, an older toll road, was incorporated and upgraded to Interstate standards to carry the route through the southern West Virginia mountains.
Major cities and places
ColumbiaCharlotteStatesvilleWythevilleCharlestonParkersburgCleveland
Notable features
- East River Mountain Tunnel
- West Virginia Turnpike
Did you know
- Runs about 614 miles from Columbia, South Carolina, to Cleveland, Ohio.
- Designated in 1958 and built across five states.
- Briefly overlaps I-81 near Wytheville, Virginia, in a wrong-way concurrency.
- Passes through the East River Mountain Tunnel at the Virginia-West Virginia line.
- Follows the tolled West Virginia Turnpike through the southern mountains.