| State: | SC |
| Type: | SC |
| Route: | 45 |
| Map: | SC 45 map.svg |
| Maint: | SCDOT |
| Length Mi: | 76.060 |
| Length Round: | 3 |
| Length Ref: | [1] [2] [3] |
| Established: | 1922 |
| Direction A: | South |
| Terminus A: | in McClellanville |
| Junction: |
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| Direction B: | North |
| Terminus B: | in Wells |
| Counties: | Charleston, Berkeley, Orangeburg |
| Previous Type: | SC |
| Previous Route: | 41 |
| Next Type: | SC |
| Next Route: | 46 |
South Carolina Highway 45 (SC 45) is a 76.06miles primary state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It serves as the main thoroughfare in northern Berkeley County.
Established as an original state highway in 1922, it traversed from SC 41 in St. Stephen to SC 31 in St. Matthews. Around 1926, SC 45 was truncated 4miles west of St. Stephen along a new alignment of SC 41 (current U.S. Route 52 or US 52). By 1931, SC 45 was extended west on new primary routing to SC 24 in Pelion. In 1937 or 1938, SC 45 was extended along US 52 east to St. Stephen, then east on new primary routing to SC 179 (current US 17 Alternate or US 17 Alt.) near Jamestown; this was SC 45's longest routing at over 105miles.
In 1939, SC 45 was rerouted onto new primary routing west of Eutawville to its current northern terminus with US 15/SC 31 in Wells. The section of road from Eutawville west to Swansea became part of SC 6; Swansea to Pelion became SC 69.
In 1942, both Santee Reservoir (Lake Marion) and Pinopolis Reservoir (Lake Moultrie) begin to be filled causing SC 45 to be altered. SC 45 was rerouted southeast along SC 6 to Cross then north around Lake Moultrie to meet back with the original SC 45 east of Eadytown; the old alignment became secondary roads Fredcon Road (S-38-137) and Edgewater Road (S-8-31) with the rest under Lake Marion. In 1948, SC 45 was truncated west again of St. Stephen onto US 52; however a year later it was extended back to SC 179, near Jamestown. In 1950, SC 45 was rerouted west of Cross onto new primary routing and bridge over the Diversion Canal; the old alignment that hugged Lake Moultrie's shoreline became secondary road Ranger Drive (S-8-132). Around 1952, SC 45 was taken off a 4miles concurrency with US 52 and given a new routing between Pineville and St. Stephen; this left behind Colonel Manham Drive (S-8-6). Also, SC 45 was extended east to Jamestown, in concurrency with US 17 Alt., then continue southeast, replacing SC 173, to its current southern terminus with US 17/US 701, in McClellanville. In the late 1990s, a one-block concurrency was eliminated in St. Stephen.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]