Editing Interstate 26 (section)

==History==
Funding for I-26 in South Carolina was provided by the [[Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956]]. The first section of I-26 was built in South Carolina between Columbia and Charleston. Construction started in 1957 and ended in 1969 with an {{Convert|11|mi|km|adj=on}} portion opening on September 7, 1960.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/archives/south-carolina-s-first-freeway-snapshots-from-the-past/article_1affbe1a-eeeb-5a18-a0d6-49a51ec8b053.html|title=South Carolina's first freeway, snapshots from the past|website=Post and Courier|date=January 15, 2014 |language=en|access-date=August 15, 2019}}</ref> By late 1960, I-26 was complete from Spartanburg to Columbia, and, in February 1969, I-26's construction from the South Carolina–North Carolina border to Columbia was completed at a cost of $118&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|118000000|1969}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}}).{{cn|date=November 2024}}

The first section of I-26 in North Carolina consisted of {{Convert|14|mi|km}} of the Interstate near Hendersonville, which opened in January 1967. I-26 between the South Carolina–North Carolina border and Asheville was completed in 1976 at a cost of $54.1&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|54100000|1976}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}}).<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 28, 1979 |title=221-Mile I-26 Longest Of State's Freeways. |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=goQsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=us0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5942%2C5236712 |access-date=March 8, 2025 |work=Herald-Journal |location=Spartanburg, South Carolina |pages=5}}</ref>

The planning for an extension of I-26 from Asheville to I-81 near Kingsport started in 1987 to accommodate truckers traveling toward I-81 that were banned on [[U.S. Route 19|US&nbsp;19]] and [[U.S. Route 23|US&nbsp;23]]. I-26 from [[Mars Hill, North Carolina]], to the North Carolina–Tennessee border opened in August 2003 at a cost of $230&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|230000000|2003}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}}). Also, in 2003, the full extension of I-26 from the North Carolina–Tennessee border to I-81 was completed and opened.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.okroads.com/guides/i26.html|title=OKRoads – Interstate 26|website=www.okroads.com|access-date=August 15, 2019}}</ref>

===Interstate 181===
{{Infobox road small
|state=TN
|type=I
|route=181
|formed=1985
|deleted=2007
|location=[[Johnson City, Tennessee|Johnson City]]–[[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]], Tennessee
|length_mi=23.85
|length_ref=<ref>{{google maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=I-26+W&daddr=US-23+N&hl=en&ll=36.414652,-82.350769&spn=0.481288,0.891953&sll=36.308187,-82.337701&sspn=0.003765,0.006968&geocode=FQsGKgIdCJ4X-w%3BFffOLQIdM-YT-w&mra=me&mrsp=0,1&sz=18&t=p&z=11|title=Interstate 181 (Tennessee)|access-date=December 2, 2013 |link= no}}</ref>
}}

'''Interstate&nbsp;181''' ('''I-181''') was established in December 1985 as an Interstate designation of [[U.S. Route 23 in Tennessee|US&nbsp;23]], which was already built to Interstate standards in the 1970s. In Tennessee, I-181 traversed from [[U.S. Route 321|US&nbsp;321]]/[[Tennessee State Route 67|State Route&nbsp;67]] (SR&nbsp;67), in Johnson City, to [[U.S. Route 11W|US&nbsp;11W]]/[[Tennessee State Route 1|SR&nbsp;1]], in Kingsport, totaling {{convert|23.85|mi|km}}. US&nbsp;23 continued on both directions as Interstate grade to the Virginia line to the north and {{convert|15|mi|km}} south to [[Erwin, Tennessee|Erwin]]; by 1992, US&nbsp;23 was upgraded to Interstate grade south to Sam's Gap at the North Carolina line. All exit numbers were based on US&nbsp;23 mileage. On August 5, 2003, after completion of a {{convert|9|mi|km|adj=on|spell=in}} section in North Carolina, I-26 was extended west into Tennessee, replacing I-181 from Johnson City to [[Interstate 81|I-81]]; north of I-81, I-181 continued into Kingsport.<ref name=allen>{{cite news |url= http://www.mountainx.com/article/11472/The-political-history-of-I-26 |title= The Political History of I-26 |access-date= December 2, 2013 |date= July 16, 2003 |work= Mountain Xpress |first=Calvin |last=Allen |location= Asheville, NC}}</ref><ref name=AASHT2003>{{AASHTO minutes |year= 2003S |page= 11 |access-date= December 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name=AASHTO2006>{{AASHTO minutes |year= 2006S |page= 1 |access-date= December 2, 2013}}</ref>

The [[American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials]] (AASHTO) initially ruled against an extension of I-26 (as the number) along the remainder of I-181 to Kingsport since that would give a main route Interstate Highway (I-26) a so-called "stub end", not connecting to any other Interstate Highway, an international border, or a seacoast. In 2005, the numerical extension was enacted by the effect of the [[Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users]] (SAFETEA-LU), being signed into law on August 10. In March 2007, I-181 was officially decommissioned, as all signs and exit numbers were changed over to I-26's designation.<ref name=allen/><ref name=AASHT2003/><ref name=AASHTO2006/>