Tired of driving the I-20 and I-77 construction zones? Here's when they'll be done

Projects to widen I-20 and I-77 in the Midlands began within a month of each other in 2016. But those commuters rolling in from Lexington will have to put up with the orange cones and Jersey barriers on I-20 a lot longer.

Engineers with the S.C. Department of Transportation are widening I-20 for 11 miles from just west of Longs Pond Road to just west of U.S. 378. But engineering troubles on the highway have moved the Lexington County project completion date from 2019 to 2020.

"We had some trouble with the existing shoulder and the construction method had to be changed," said Allen Thompson, an assistant district construction engineer with SCDOT. "It put us back about a year."

The new completion date for the $99 million project is spring 2020.

The highway is being widened from two lanes to three in each direction.

"It's about capacity and safety," Thompson said. "It will be a much safer design once completed."

On I-77, the 7 -mile widening project is close to being complete..

Begun on March 6, 2016, the project will widen the highway from two lanes to three lanes in each direction from Percival Road north to S.C. 277. It will expand to four lanes in each direction from S.C. 277 to Killian Road.

"The northeast and Blythewood is expanding dramatically and this is to assist in that growth," said John Burns, a resident construction engineer with the transportation department.

So far there have been no major delays in the $88 million project.

"Just Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Irma," Burns said.

Remnants of the two hurricanes moved through the Midlands in 2016 and 2017, respectively,

The two projects are the third and fourth undertaken in recent years to handle increasing suburban traffic in a growing greater Columbia.

Previously completed were:

▪ A $69 million widening and bridge replacement project on I-20 from I-77 to east of Spears Creek Church Road in Richland County. It was completed in 2015.

▪ A $75 million widening and bridge replacement project on I-26 from I-77 into Calhoun County, a stretch of 10 miles.

This story was originally published March 30, 2018 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Tired of driving the I-20 and I-77 construction zones? Here's when they'll be done."