[citation needed] The highway serves as a spur into Columbia from its northeastern suburbs and from intercity traffic traveling from I-77 and I-20.

SC 277 heads north on a six-lane surface divided highway passing a residential neighborhood to the west and state office buildings to the east.

[3] SC 277 was originally part of a plan to construct an urban-loop expressway through Columbia shortly following federal approval of extending I-77 to the city from Charlotte in 1969.

The initial phase of the highway was logically conceived as an alternative to increasingly congested Farrow Road (SC 555).

New parallel spans over the Congaree River, as well as a direct connection to I-126 at an improved Huger St. interchange were part of the original plan.