US Route 321 is shaped like an instance of the letter "L" that has been rotated 180 degrees, or kind of like the number "7", in eastern Tennessee and the Carolinas.  The northwestern beginning is an interchange with Interstate 40 just west of Interstate 75 and Knoxville, in eastern Tennessee.  US Route 321 initially runs east from there, crossing from the south side of Interstate 40 to the north side at Newport, Tennessee.  The highway then continues east through Boone, North Carolina, where it turns to the south through Hickory and Gastonia.  After that, US Route 321 continues beyond Gastonia, into South Carolina.  In that state, it cuts right down the middle to the southern tip, serving as the next major north-south west of US Route 21 and Interstate 77 (in the north half of the state, anyway).  US Route 321 continues south through Columbia to end at the southern tip of South Carolina, at US Route 17 in Hardeeville, very near Interstate 95.  Hardeeville, South Carolina, is right across the state border from Savannah, Georgia.

My photo for US Route 321 comes from Newport, Tennessee, at a junction where US Route 321 joins US Route 70 east for a short spell. This piece of US Route 70 is part of that route's long concurrency with US Route 25, whose southward progression is interrupted by a long jog toward the east along US Route 70. Now, all three routes share the same pavement, heading east into downtown Newport. This trailblazer assembly confirms the presence of US Route 25, US Route 70, and US Route 321, all on the same road.  This photo was taken in April, 2024, as I was road tripping across Pennsylvania, the Delmarva, and the Carolinas; I took this shot on the way home from the Carolinas.

Another photo of US Route 321 once took center stage on this page.  That photo is still available for viewing below.

This older photo for US Route 321 also comes from East Tennessee. This photo hails from the route's junction with US Route 70, near Lenoir City, Tennessee.  This is the first junction with another major highway east of US Route 321's western end.  This photo looks northeastward along US Route 70.  This photo was taken on the way home from the second Gulf Coast trip, in November 2016.
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