US 321 highlighted in red | ||||||||||||||
| Route information | ||||||||||||||
| Auxiliary route ofUS 21 | ||||||||||||||
| Length | 516.9 mi[1][2][3] (831.9 km) | |||||||||||||
| Existed | 1931–present | |||||||||||||
| Tourist routes | ||||||||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||||||
| South end | ||||||||||||||
| Major intersections | ||||||||||||||
| North end | ||||||||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||
| States | South Carolina,North Carolina,Tennessee | |||||||||||||
| Counties | SC:Jasper,Hampton,Allendale,Bamberg,Orangeburg,Lexington,Richland,Fairfield,Chester,York NC:Gaston,Lincoln,Catawba,Burke,Caldwell,Watauga,Avery TN:Johnson,Carter,Washington,Greene,Cocke,Sevier,Blount,Loudon | |||||||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||||||
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U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur ofU.S. Route 21. It runs for 516.9 miles (831.9 km) fromHardeeville, South Carolina toLenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point atElizabethton, Tennessee, just northeast ofJohnson City. Because of its unusual "north–south–north" routing, U.S. Route 321 intersects bothInterstate 40 andU.S. Route 70 three separate times. The highway serves different roles in each state: An alternate route to interstates in South Carolina, a major highway inNorth Carolina, and a scenic route in Tennessee.
| mi | km | |
|---|---|---|
| SC | 217.2 | 349.5 |
| NC | 105.5 | 169.8 |
| TN | 194.2 | 312.5 |
| Total | 516.9 | 831.8 |
US 321 provides direct access betweenSavannah andColumbia, serving as an alternate toInterstate 95 andInterstate 26. Starting in Hardeeville, US 321 as a mostly 2 lane highway goes through sparsely populated areas and small towns includingEstill,Fairfax, andDenmark, heading in a rather straight and northward direction into the Columbia area, widening to a 5 lane highway right afterNeeses, then narrowing down to a 2 lane highway right after the town ofNorth and widening to a 5 lane highway again afterSwansea and staying that way until it merges with its parent routeUS 21 in Dixiana. In Columbia, the route stays concurrent with US 21 throughCayce, over theCongaree River on the Blossom Street Bridge, turning left onto Huger Street, right onto Elmwood Avenue, and left onto North Main Street. The roads separate at Hyatt Park, with US 321 staying west ofI-77 and US 21 north of Columbia. The route goes through to communities ofWinnsboro,Chester,York, andClover before entering North Carolina at Bowling Green.
US 321 is an important route inWestern North Carolina. It provides an alternative north–south route toI-77, which passes through a busy metropolitan area, andUS 221, which is more twisty drive up theAppalachians. Travelers from South Carolina who are going to points west ofCharlotte and want to avoid the traffic of I-77 may choose to enter the state on US 321.
The highway traverses through seven counties:Gaston,Lincoln,Catawba,Burke,Caldwell,Watauga, andAvery. US 321 has six control cities:Gastonia,Lincolnton,Hickory,Lenoir,Blowing Rock, andBoone.
US 321 is a multilane highway beginning at the state line. After 7 miles (11 km), it enters theGastonia area. Traffic on northbound 321 through Gastonia is generally not as heavy as traffic on southbound 321 north ofI-85, where it may back up for a couple of miles as drivers wait to turn onto I-85. The state completed a new interchange with I-85 in 2021 which has southbound 321 cross over 321NB at a stoplight just north of I-85. The traffic now enters I-85 northbound with a flyunder entrance ramp over a former railroad right-of-way.[4]
The road becomes a freeway at C. Grier Beam Boulevard in Gastonia, just south ofNC 275/NC 279. It remains a freeway until just north of its junction withUS 70 in Hickory. The freeway bypasses a number of cities that the old US 321 route once passed through. Today, US 321 Business follows the original 38-mile (61 km) route, which servesMaiden,Newton, andConover, but the freeway is a more direct route to the mountains, and the business route is generally used by local traffic only.
Traffic is usually heavy betweenHickory andLenoir. TheNorth Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has a long-term plan to widen the road to six lanes, which is expected to begin after 2020.[5]
North of Lenoir, US 321 is a four-lane divided highway, continuing up the steep escarpment of theBlue Ridge Mountains. Until early 2018, the road was a narrow two-lane highway from nearPatterson throughBlowing Rock. Work on this area continued for much of the first two decades of the 21st century. The widening of US 321 through Blowing Rock was and continues to be seen as a controversial project. Many residents of the town felt that a four-lane highway would destroy the character of the small town, and they proposed several bypass alternatives. NCDOT selected the widening as its preferred alternative, but added several features such as underground utilities, sidewalks, landscaping, and rock walls to make the widening more palatable to the residents opposed to it.[6] These features were not present on the two-lane highway that was replaced. The final portion of the widening project, at the steepest part of the road just south of Blowing Rock, began in 2012 and was completed in 2018.[7] Some landscaping work remains which will commence in Fall 2018 as its own project, constructed separately for beautification of the route through town.
North of Blowing Rock, US 321 is already a highway of four lanes up to King Street inBoone; thus, US 321 is a four-lane highway from the South Carolina state line to downtown Boone. Currently,[when?] US 321 meetsUS 421 at King Street and overlaps it over King Street to leave town to the west. NCDOT project R-2615 is proposed to widen the US 321/421 concurrency from this junction to their junction nearVilas, although this project is currently unfunded.[8] There is a feasibility study (FS-0511A) in progress[when?] to examine the possibility of widening US 321 from the junction near Vilas to the Tennessee state line. If both of these projects were completed, then US 321 would be a four-lane highway through the entire state.

As it crosses into Tennessee, US 321 enters theCherokee National Forest, and continues westward through the rugged valley between Pond Mountain on the south andWatauga Lake on the north. The highway passes numerous campgrounds, boat launches, and other lake-related recreational areas as it winds its way along the shores of the lake. South ofButler, the highway joinsSR 67, which enters from theMountain City area to the northeast. TheAppalachian Trail crosses US 321 at its intersection with Shook Gap Road, just before the highway exits the national forest. AtHampton, US 321 intersectsUS 19E, and the two highways run concurrently northward intoElizabethton.
US 321 inverts directions in Elizabethton: the road is designated as southbound in both directions driving away from its intersection with US 19E.[9] It is conterminous with US 11E through portions ofWashington andGreene counties. InGreeneville, the highway continues south intoCocke County. At the Cocke-Greene County line US 321 becomes a four-laned divided highway and bypassesParrottsville. The four-lane section ends just before US 321's junction withSR 160 and crossingI-40 atNewport.

The stretch of US 321 from Newport south toCosby and southwest throughPittman Center toGatlinburg parallels the northern boundary of theGreat Smoky Mountains National Park and is quite scenic. From a point between Newport and Cosby to the intersection with theLittle River Road, it is concurrent withSR 73. InPigeon Forge, concurrent withUS 441/Great Smoky Mountains Parkway, US 321 is a divided, multi-lane traffic-laden thoroughfare where it serves as the city's main route, lined with hotels, outlet malls and amusement facilities. Veering southwest of Pigeon Forge, the highway takes on a more rural character as it traversesWears Valley, and narrows down to two lanes until its junction withSR 73 Scenic (the Little River Road) at theTownsend entrance to the park. It is concurrent with SR 73 from this junction to its terminus. With the exception of a 3-mile (4.8 km) section betweenTownsend andMaryville, the remaining portions of the highway throughBlount County are a minimum of four lanes and usually a divided highway. Once the highway reachesFort Loudon Dam inLoudon County, it crosses theTennessee River via a bridge, completed in 2017, southeast of the dam then intersects withUS 11 inLenoir City. US 321 has awrong-way concurrency withSR 95 from a point several miles south of Lenoir City (nearGreenback) to its terminus atI-40. In the northern part of Lenoir City, US 321 intersectsI-75 andUS 70 before reaching I-40. Beyond I-40, the road continues northward toOak Ridge as the two-lane SR 95.
US 321 is a four-lane semi-divided thoroughfare from I-40 and I-75 to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, except for the 3-mile (4.8 km) stretch near Walland.
This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(October 2017) |
| Location | Propst Crossroads–Boone, NC |
|---|---|
| Length | 55.9 mi[10] (90.0 km) |
| Existed | 1921–1934 |
North Carolina Highway 17 (NC 17) was an original state highway that traversed fromHickory to Boone, throughGranite Falls,Hudson,Lenoir andBlowing Rock. In 1930, it was extended south on new primary routing toNC 113, in Propst Crossroads; also same year, US 321 was established in the state and overlapped NC 17 between Hickory and Boone.[11] In 1934, NC 17 was decommissioned, with US 321 taking all north of Hickory andNC 96 taking all south.[12]
| Location | Dallas–Conover, NC |
|---|---|
| Length | 29.4 mi[13] (47.3 km) |
| Existed | 1994–1999 |
North Carolina Highway 155 (NC 155) was established in 1994 following the old alignment of US 321 as it was moved onto new four-lanecontrolled-access highway.[14] FromNC 275/NC 279, in Dallas, it traversed north throughHigh Shoals toLincolnton. Sharing a short concurrency withNC 150 as it bypass the downtown area of Lincolnton, it continues north meeting with main US 321, south ofMaiden, continuing in concurrency throughNewton and finally Conover, where it ended atUS 70. In 1999, the remainder of US 321 was moved onto new freeway bypass west of Newton and Conover; at same time, NC 155 was decommissioned and absorbed into US 321 Business.[15]
| Location | TN State Line–Sugar Grove, NC |
|---|---|
| Existed | 1931–1961 |
This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(January 2019) |
In addition to the widening project,there have also been talks of a freeway-to-freeway connection withInterstate 85 inGastonia that would greatly relieve traffic flowing through the junction[citation needed]. Currently, US 321 is a surface road at the I-85 interchange, and is a limited access freeway a few hundred yards north. To extend the freeway to I-85, the remaining at-grade intersections and traffic lights would have to be eliminated.
| State | County | Location | mi [1][2][3] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | Jasper | Hardeeville | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||
| 0.5 | 0.80 | To Millstone Landing | ||||||
| Tillman | 12.5 | 20.1 | ||||||
| Tarboro | 19.8 | 31.9 | Southern terminus of US 601 | |||||
| Robertville | 22.6 | 36.4 | ||||||
| Hampton | Garnett | 25.6 | 41.2 | |||||
| Scotia | 30.7 | 49.4 | ||||||
| Estill | 35.8 | 57.6 | South end of SC 3 overlap | |||||
| 36.0 | 57.9 | North end of SC 3 overlap | ||||||
| | 40.4 | 65.0 | ToLake Warren State Park | |||||
| Allendale | Fairfax | 49.9 | 80.3 | |||||
| Sycamore | 55.6 | 89.5 | ||||||
| Ulmer | 59.9 | 96.4 | South end of US 301 overlap | |||||
| Bamberg | | 61.9 | 99.6 | North end of US 301 overlap | ||||
| Olar | 66.5 | 107.0 | ||||||
| Denmark | 76.6 | 123.3 | South end of SC 70 overlap | |||||
| | 76.9 | 123.8 | ||||||
| | 77.3 | 124.4 | North end of SC 70 overlap | |||||
| Orangeburg | Norway | 85.3 | 137.3 | East end of SC 332 overlap | ||||
| 85.6 | 137.8 | West end of SC 332 overlap | ||||||
| Neeses | 90.9 | 146.3 | ||||||
| 91.4 | 147.1 | |||||||
| North | 97.3 | 156.6 | ||||||
| Lexington | Swansea | 105.1 | 169.1 | |||||
| 105.9 | 170.4 | To Swansea High Football Stadium | ||||||
| 106.1 | 170.8 | West end of SC 6 overlap | ||||||
| 106.2 | 170.9 | East end of SC 6 overlap | ||||||
| | 117.7 | 189.4 | South end of US 21 and east end of US 176 overlap | |||||
| Cayce | 120.2 | 193.4 | ||||||
| 120.6 | 194.1 | |||||||
| 121.8 | 196.0 | |||||||
| West Columbia | 123.3 | 198.4 | ||||||
| 125.0 | 201.2 | |||||||
| Richland | Columbia | Western terminus of US 21 Conn., the western segment of US 76 Conn., SC 48 Truck, and Blossom Street; US 21, US 176, and US 321 turn left off of Blossom Street onto Huger Street. | ||||||
| 126.5 | 203.6 | ToSouth Carolina State House | ||||||
| 126.8 | 204.1 | ToFinlay Park andColumbia Museum of Art | ||||||
| 127.4 | 205.0 | West end of US 76 overlap | ||||||
| 128.0 | 206.0 | East end of US 76 overlap | ||||||
| 128.6 | 207.0 | West end of US 176 overlap | ||||||
| 129.2 | 207.9 | |||||||
| 129.8 | 208.9 | ToColumbia International University | ||||||
| 130.8 | 210.5 | North end of US 21 overlap;Columbia College at intersection | ||||||
| 132.2 | 212.8 | |||||||
| Fairfield | | 151.2 | 243.3 | |||||
| Winnsboro Mills | 152.4 | 245.3 | East end of SC 34 overlap; to South Carolina Railroad Museum | |||||
| 152.7 | 245.7 | |||||||
| Winnsboro | 156.1 | 251.2 | West end of SC 34 overlap | |||||
| 156.9 | 252.5 | |||||||
| Chester | Chester | 178.8 | 287.8 | South end of SC 97 overlap | ||||
| 179.4 | 288.7 | South end of SC 9, east end of SC 72, and north end of SC 97/SC 121 overlap | ||||||
| 181.2 | 291.6 | West end of SC 72 and south end of SC 121 overlap | ||||||
| 182.0 | 292.9 | |||||||
| 182.3 | 293.4 | North end of SC 9 overlap | ||||||
| 184.2 | 296.4 | |||||||
| Lowrys | 189.7 | 305.3 | ||||||
| York | McConnells | 194.2 | 312.5 | West end of SC 322 overlap | ||||
| 194.3 | 312.7 | West end of SC 322 overlap; toHistoric Brattonsville | ||||||
| York | 203.3 | 327.2 | ||||||
| 203.7 | 327.8 | |||||||
| 204.5 | 329.1 | South end of SC 161 Bus overlap | ||||||
| 205.7 | 331.0 | |||||||
| 205.9 | 331.4 | South end of SC 161 and north end of SC 161 Bus overlap | ||||||
| Filbert | 207.5 | 333.9 | North end of SC 161 overlap | |||||
| Clover | 213.4 | 343.4 | ||||||
| 217.2 0.0 | 349.5 0.0 | South Carolina–North Carolina state line | ||||||
| North Carolina | Gaston | Gastonia | 7.3 | 11.7 | Garrison Boulevard | |||
| 7.9 | 12.7 | |||||||
| 8.1 | 13.0 | |||||||
| 9.4 | 15.1 | |||||||
| Dallas | 9.4 | 15.1 | Grier Beem Boulevard –Gaston College | Signed exit 11 | ||||
| 11.7 | 18.8 | Signed exits 12A-B Northbound and exit 12 Southbound | ||||||
| | 16.1 | 25.9 | Hardin Road | Signed exit 17 | ||||
| Lincoln | | 18.8 | 30.3 | Signed exit 20 | ||||
| Lincolnton | 23.6 | 38.0 | Signed exit 24 | |||||
| | 27.0 | 43.5 | Signed exit 28 | |||||
| Catawba | Maiden | 32.3 | 52.0 | Startown Road | Signed exit 33 | |||
| | 36.2 | 58.3 | Signed exit 37 | |||||
| | 40.1 | 64.5 | River Road | Signed exit 41 | ||||
| Mountain View | 41.4 | 66.6 | Signed exit 42 | |||||
| Hickory | 42.3 | 68.1 | Signed exits 43A (east) and 43B (west) | |||||
| 43.3 | 69.7 | Signed exit 44 | ||||||
| 45.3 | 72.9 | Clement Boulevard –Hickory Regional Airport | ||||||
| Burke | No major junctions | |||||||
| Caldwell | Northlakes | 47.9 | 77.1 | |||||
| Granite Falls | 50.1 | 80.6 | Falls Avenue –Granite Falls | |||||
| Lenoir | 56.8 | 91.4 | Southwest Boulevard –Morganton | |||||
| 59.1 | 95.1 | |||||||
| 60.1 | 96.7 | East end of NC 90 overlap | ||||||
| 62.3 | 100.3 | West end of NC 90 overlap | ||||||
| | 65.9 | 106.1 | ||||||
| Watauga | Blowing Rock | 79.4 | 127.8 | |||||
| 80.6 | 129.7 | South end of US 221 overlap | ||||||
| 81.4 | 131.0 | ToMoses H. Cone Memorial Park andJulian Price Memorial Park | ||||||
| Boone | 87.0 | 140.0 | North end of US 221 overlap | |||||
| 87.9 | 141.5 | South end of US 421 and north end of NC 194 overlap | ||||||
| Vilas | 93.6 | 150.6 | South end of NC 194 overlap | |||||
| Sugar Grove | 94.3 | 151.8 | North end of US 421 overlap | |||||
| Avery | No major junctions | |||||||
| 105.5 0.0 | 169.8 0.0 | North Carolina–Tennessee state line | ||||||
| Tennessee | Carter | | 12.5 | 20.1 | East end of SR 67 and west end ofSR 159 (hidden) overlap | |||
| Hampton | 12.5 | 20.1 | South end of US 19E overlap | |||||
| Elizabethton | 27.2 | 43.8 | North end of US 19E and SR 91 overlap | |||||
| Route transition from northbound to southbound | ||||||||
| 28.0 | 45.1 | |||||||
| 31.3 | 50.4 | South end of SR 91 overlap | ||||||
| 31.9 | 51.3 | |||||||
| Washington | Johnson City | 35.3 | 56.8 | Legion Street / Milligan Highway | Interchange | |||
| 35.8 | 57.6 | Intrechange; exit 24 (I-26) | ||||||
| 36.7 | 59.1 | West end of SR 67 and south end of SR 381 overlap | ||||||
| 39.5 | 63.6 | North end of US 11E and SR 381 overlap | ||||||
| Jonesborough | 44.3 | 71.3 | ||||||
| Limestone | 54.4 | 87.5 | ||||||
| Greene | | 58.0 | 93.3 | |||||
| Tusculum | 62.6 | 100.7 | East end of SR 107 (hidden) overlap | |||||
| Greeneville | Erwin Highway –Tusculum,Tusculum College | Former SR 107 | ||||||
| 65.2 | 104.9 | West end of SR 107 (hidden) overlap | ||||||
| 66.0 | 106.2 | Snapps Ferry Road | Interchange | |||||
| 67.1 | 108.0 | South end of US 11E overlap; southern terminus of SR 93 | ||||||
| 67.3 | 108.3 | Southern terminus of SR 172 | ||||||
| 68.0 | 109.4 | North end of US 11E Bus. overlap | ||||||
| 68.4 | 110.1 | South end of US 11E Bus. overlap | ||||||
| 68.5 | 110.2 | South end of SR 350 (hidden) overlap | ||||||
| 69.5 | 111.8 | West end of SR 107 (hidden) overlap | ||||||
| 71.3 | 114.7 | Eastern terminus of SR 349 | ||||||
| Cocke | Parrottsville | 87.3 | 140.5 | |||||
| | 91.6 | 147.4 | Southern terminus of SR 160 | |||||
| Newport | 93.7 | 150.8 | South end of US 25 and east end of US 70 overlap | |||||
| 94.0 | 151.3 | North end of US 25 / SR 32 and west end of US 70 overlap | ||||||
| 95.5 | 153.7 | I-40 exit 435 | ||||||
| | 101.1 | 162.7 | North end of SR 73 (hidden) overlap | |||||
| Cosby | 106.0 | 170.6 | Eastern terminus of SR 339 | |||||
| 106.2 | 170.9 | Western terminus of section 8A of the Foothills Parkway | ||||||
| 108.0 | 173.8 | South end of SR 32 overlap | ||||||
| Sevier | Pittman Center | 119.9 | 193.0 | Southern terminus of SR 416 | ||||
| Gatlinburg–Pittman Center line | 120.8 | 194.4 | Southern terminus of SR 454 | |||||
| Gatlinburg | 126.1 | 202.9 | South end of US 441 overlap; eastern terminus of SR 73 Scenic | |||||
| 127.2 | 204.7 | Gatlinburg Parkway Bypass –Great Smoky Mountains National Park | No access from northbound US 441/US 321 | |||||
| Pigeon Forge | Southern terminus of SR 449 | |||||||
| 134.5 | 216.5 | North end of US 441 overlap | ||||||
| Wears Valley | 142.9 | 230.0 | Foothills Parkway | Interchange; eastern terminus of western section of Foothills Parkway | ||||
| Blount | Townsend | 149.4 | 240.4 | Western terminus of SR 73 Scenic | ||||
| Walland | 156.8 | 252.3 | Foothills Parkway –Top of The World,Chilhowee Lake,Great Smoky Mountains National Park Look Rock area | Interchange | ||||
| Maryville | 166.7 | 268.3 | Southern terminus of SR 447 | |||||
| 167.4 | 269.4 | Northern terminus of SR 336 | ||||||
| 167.6 | 269.7 | |||||||
| 168.7 | 271.5 | |||||||
| 171.0 | 275.2 | North end of SR 335 overlap | ||||||
| 171.6 | 276.2 | South end of SR 335 overlap | ||||||
| Friendsville | 176.1 | 283.4 | Southern terminus of SR 333 | |||||
| Loudon | | 181.4 | 291.9 | South end of SR 95 (hidden) overlap | ||||
| | 185.0 | 297.7 | Eastern terminus of SR 444 | |||||
| Lenoir City | 186.8 | 300.6 | ||||||
| 189.5 | 305.0 | I-75 exit 81 | ||||||
| 190.3 | 306.3 | |||||||
| 194.2 | 312.5 | West end of SR 73 (hidden) and north end of SR 95 (hidden) overlap; I-40 exit 364 | ||||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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| Location | Winnsboro, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Length | 4.350 mi[16] (7.001 km) |
| Existed | 1952[citation needed]–present |
U.S. Route 321 Business (US 321 Bus.) is a 4.350-mile (7.001 km)business route of US 321 that exists inWinnsboro Mills andWinnsboro, via Columbia Road and Congress Street.[17] It was established around 1951 or 1952, when mainline US 321 was rerouted west, bypassing Winnsboro.[citation needed]
| Location | Chester, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Length | 3.670 mi[18] (5.906 km) |
| Existed | 1964[citation needed]–present |
U.S. Route 321 Business (US 321 Bus.) is a 3.670-mile (5.906 km)business route of US 321 in the city ofChester. It traverses downtown Chester, via Columbia Street and Center Road.[19] It was established between 1962 and 1964, when mainline US 321 was rerouted west, bypassing Chester.[citation needed]
| Location | York, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Length | 2.500 mi[20] (4.023 km) |
| Existed | 1958[citation needed]–present |
U.S. Route 321 Business (US 321 Bus.) is a 2.500-mile (4.023 km)business route of US 321 in the city ofYork, utilizing Congress Street and Kings Mountain Street.[21] It was established around 1957–1958, when mainline US 321 was rerouted west, bypassing York.[citation needed]
| Location | Dallas–Hickory, NC |
|---|---|
| Length | 37.2 mi[22] (59.9 km) |
| Existed | 1999–present |
U.S. Route 321 Business (US 321 Bus) was established in June 1999, as a renumbering all of NC 155 and part of mainline US 321 inCatawba County. Traversing 37.2 miles (59.9 km) throughGaston,Lincoln and Catawba counties, it connects the cities and towns of Dallas,High Shoals,Lincolnton,Maiden,Newton,Conover and Hickory. The highway follows the original US 321 routing through that existed prior to 1994.[15]
| Location | Lincolnton, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Length | 3.4 mi[23] (5.5 km) |
| Existed | 1956–1960 |
U.S. Route 321 Alternate (US 321A) was established 1956 when mainline US 321 was placed on new bypass east of downtown Lincolnton. It traversed along Aspen Street and around the Lincoln County Civil Court on Court Square Drive. In 1960 it was decommissioned, with Aspen Street becoming secondary roads.
| Location | Granite Falls–Lenoir, NC |
|---|---|
| Length | 11.8 mi[24] (19.0 km) |
| Existed | 1948–present |
U.S. Route 321 Alternate (US 321A) was established 1948 as a number swap with US 321 through downtown Lenoir. In 1957, US 321A was extended south, replacing mainline US 321 throughGranite Falls andHudson, ending at its current southern terminus north of theCatawba River. In June 1964, US 321A was placed on one-way splits through downtown Lenoir; northbound continued along Mulberry Street and West Avenue, southbound rerouted along Main Street and College Avenue. In September 2006, US 321A was rerouted to its current northern terminus, just south of downtown Lenoir, via McLean Drive. Its old alignment through downtown Lenoir was carried on byNC 90 until 2012, when it too was rerouted; the old alignment is now under city control.[25][26][27]
Traversing through Granite Falls,Sawmills, Hudson andLenoir US 321A has not changed much over the years. Predominantly a two-lane highway, it parallels a short line railroad and connects to several factories and downtowns.
| Location | Lenoir, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Length | 5.9 mi[28] (9.5 km) |
| Existed | 1941–1948 |
U.S. Route 321 Alternate (US 321A) was established 1941 as a new alternate route bypassing Lenoir. In 1948, it was replaced by mainline US 321.
| Location | Blowing Rock, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Length | 2.0 mi[29] (3.2 km) |
| Existed | 1960–present |
U.S. Route 321 Business (US 321 Bus) was established 1960 as an upgrade to secondary roads through downtown Blowing Rock; which were originally part of mainline US 321 until about 1954, when it was moved onto a new bypass east. The highway traverses along Main Street and shares a concurrency withUS 221 for 0.8 miles (1.3 km) on its northern section.

| Location | Boone, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Length | 4.0 mi[30] (6.4 km) |
U.S. Route 321 Truck (US 321 Truck) redirects truckers traveling through the area to go south and around downtown Boone, viaNC 105 and NC Highway 105 Bypass (SR-1107). The shares some overlap withUS 221 Truck and complete overlap withUS 421 Truck.
| Location | Greeneville, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Length | 3.6 mi (5.8 km) |
U.S. Route 321 Truck (US 321 Truck) redirects truckers traveling south on US 321 around downtown. It shares aconcurrency withUS 11E andSR 70. The route begins at US 11E/US 321 and ends 3.6 miles (5.8 km) later at US 321/SR 70.
The entire route is inGreeneville,Greene County.
| mi | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | Southern terminus of US 321 Truck and end SR 70 overlap | |||
| 1.0 | 1.6 | Begin US 11E Business concurrency; Northern terminus of SR 350 | |||
| 1.2 | 1.9 | Southern terminus of US 11E Business; Begin US 11E/SR 34 overlap | |||
| 1.7 | 2.7 | End SR 70 overlap | |||
| 2.0 | 3.2 | Southern terminus of SR 172; Interchange | |||
| 3.4 | 5.5 | End US 321 Truck | |||
| 3.6 | 5.8 | Southern terminus of SR 93 | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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