Interstate 526 (I-526) is a auxiliary route of I-26, providing a partial beltway around Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States. The route serves several purposes, firstly, as a bypass for through traffic on U.S. Route 17 (US 17) to avoid downtown Charleston, and, secondly, for traffic on I-26 bound for the coastal towns located north and south of Charleston. The route is not yet complete, as the western terminus it is planned for the route to be extended an additional . After the eastern terminus, the roadway continues as a short business route, known as Interstate 526 Business (I-526 Bus.). Route description I-526 begins at an incomplete interchange with US 17 (Savannah Highway) and South Carolina Highway 7 (SC 7, Sam Rittenberg Boulevard) in the West Ashley section of the city of Charleston, just north of the Stono River. The interchange includes a loop ramp from northbound US 17, a ramp from southbound US 17, and a half-diamond interchange with SC 7. The four-lane freeway heads north past the Citadel Mall and meets SC 461 at a partial cloverleaf interchange. SC 461 heads west as Glenn McConnell Parkway and east as Paul Cantrell Boulevard; both directions lead to SC 61 (Ashley River Road). I-526 crosses SC 61 and uses the General William C. Westmoreland Bridge to cross the Ashley River into the city of North Charleston. The freeway has diamond interchanges with Leeds Avenue and SC 642 (Dorchester Road) and crosses over CSX's Charleston Subdivision. I-526 continues through a connected pair of half-diamond interchanges with Montague Avenue and International Boulevard. Both streets lead to the North Charleston Coliseum and Charles Towne Square; the latter one is the access road for Charleston International Airport. The Interstate curves east and reaches its junction with I-26, which is a cloverleaf interchange except for a flyover ramp from eastbound I-526 to westbound I-26. I-526 crosses over Norfolk Southern Railway's SC Line and has a partial cloverleaf interchange with Rivers Avenue, which carries US 52 and US 78. The Interstate continues from its overpass of the U.S. Routes as a viaduct above wetlands along Filbin Creek. The viaduct crosses over the CSX rail line again and has a four-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange with Rhett Avenue and a half-diamond interchange with Virginia Avenue. The Rhett Avenue interchange includes a U-turn ramp that allows access from westbound I-526 to Virginia Avenue and from the avenue to