After Irma, expect traffic delays, restrictions on SC roads

The storm has passed in South Carolina. Now one of the top concerns of state officials is traffic on interstates and roads as those who fled Hurricane Irma turn around and head home.

Interstates 95 and 26 both were experiencing pockets of congestion Tuesday, S.C. Transportation Department secretary Christy Hall said.

I-95 saw heavy traffic near the Georgia border as residents of Florida and Georgia fled the approach of the storm. State officials have warned those traffic patterns will reverse as those residents try to return home.

At the same time, S.C. residents who fled coastal areas also are heading back down interstates 26 and 95 after Gov. Henry McMaster lifted evacuation orders Tuesday morning for several barrier islands.

McMaster warned drivers to expect delays and possible detours, especially as local officials continued to assess Irma-related damage. The governor warned access to Edisto Beach and Hunting, Fripp and Harbor islands would be restricted.

In total, 162 roads in 22 counties remained closed Tuesday morning, including the Harbor River Bridge in Beaufort County and a section of I-95 in Dillon County, Hall said.

One traffic fatality has been attributed to the storm.

Zhen Tain, 21, of Florida, died Monday in a collison on I-77 near Columbia that S.C. Public Safety Department director Leroy Smith attributed to storm conditions.

Tain was driving too fast, lost control of his car, sideswiped another vehicle, hit a guard rail and then overturned, Smith said.

At one point, 1,059 people who evacuated were housed in 24 emergency shelters across the state. Those shelters were beginning to close Tuesday, as those residents started to head home.

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 11:45 AM with the headline "After Irma, expect traffic delays, restrictions on SC roads."