Portion of I-26 to close this weekend for bridge replacement

Part of Interstate 26 in Lexington County will be closed overnight Saturday as Transportation Department crews remove a damaged bridge.

I-26 from U.S. 1 to U.S. 378 will close about 10 p.m. Saturday and reopen about 10 a.m. Sunday.

An oversized truck struck the Leaphart Road bridge over I-26 in West Columbia last week, damaging it. It was the fourth hit to the bridge this year, according to the Transportation Department. The bridge has been hit more than a dozen times since 2015.

The S.C. Department of Transportation suggests the following detours:

Motorists traveling from Greenville/Spartanburg to Charleston: Take I-26 East to I-20 East, Exit 107B. Follow I-20 East for 12 miles and take Exit 76 to I-77 South. Follow I-77 South for approximately 16 miles until it merges with I-26 East near Columbia. Continue on I-26 East to Charleston.

Motorists traveling from Charleston to Greenville/Spartanburg: Take I-26 West to I-77 North, Exit 116. Follow I-77 North for approximately 16 miles and take Exit 16 to I-20 West. Follow I-20 West for approximately 12 miles to I-26 West, Exit 64B. Continue on I-26 West to Greenville/Spartanburg.

Motorists traveling from Charlotte/Rock Hill to Charleston: Take I-77 South. Follow I-77 South until it merges with I-26 East near Columbia. Continue on I-26 East to Charleston.

Motorists traveling from Charleston to Charlotte/Rock Hill: Take I-26 West to I-77 North, Exit 116. Continue traveling North on I-77 to Rock Hill.

Motorists traveling from Charleston to Aiken/Augusta: Take I-26 West to U.S. 1 (Augusta Road) South, Exit 111A. Continue traveling on US 1 (Augusta Road) South for 5 miles to the interchange with I-20. Take I-20 West ramp to Augusta.

Motorists traveling from Aiken/Augusta to Charleston: Take I-20 East to U.S. 1 (Augusta Road), Exit 58. Continue on U.S. 1 (Augusta Road) North for 5 miles to the interchange with I-26. Take the I-26 East ramp to Charleston.

Motorists traveling to the Columbia Metropolitan Airport from I-26 Westbound: Take I-26 West to S.C. 302, Exit 113. Take a left onto S.C. 302 toward the airport.

Motorists traveling to the Columbia Metropolitan Airport from I-26 Eastbound: Take I-26 East to I-20 West, Exit 107A. Continue on I-20 West to US 1 (Augusta Road), Exit 58. Turn left onto US 1 (Augusta Road) toward West Columbia/Columbia Airport. Continue 6 miles on US 1 (Augusta Road). Take a right on Ermine Road. Continue straight on Ermine Road crossing SC 602 (Platt Springs Road) to the John Hardee Expressway.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Portion of I-26 to close this weekend for bridge replacement."