Traffic heavy on interstates in SC as evacuees make the trek home

As S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster lifted his evacuation order of the barrier islands Tuesday morning, vehicles on Interstates 95 and 26 found themselves slowly inching forward, or stopping and starting.

Residents of Beaufort County, along with evacuees from Georgia and Florida, began to drive home after Hurricane-turned-Tropical Storm Irma battered the southeastern U.S.

Traffic on southbound Interstate 95 was congested in several places throughout the day and into Tuesday evening, according to a map from the S.C. Department of Transportation. Traffic cameras also showed slow traffic, but it was moving forward Tuesday afternoon, said Sgt. Bob Beres of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Traffic on I-95 was particularly packed Tuesday near the border of Georgia as evacuees from South Carolina’s southern neighbors drove home. In addition, the exit from southbound I-95 onto U.S. 17 to Ridgeland was closed because of flooding as of 1:26 p.m., according to the DOT. Overall, the interstate between Walterboro and the Georgia state line remained very slow going just before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The City of Hardeeville released a statement warning of an “increased volume of traffic in the Hardeeville area,” causing both I-95 South and U.S. 17 South to experience congestion.

There were no major incidents or accidents on U.S. 278 as of early Tuesday afternoon, said Beaufort County Sheriff’s spokesman Bob Bromage.

Roadblocks to Hilton Head Island were lifted Tuesday morning.

There was one Irma-related fatal collision on Monday, authorities said. Zhen Tain, 21, of Florida, died in a collision near Columbia on Interstate 77. S.C. Public Safety Department director Leroy Smith attributed the crash to storm conditions.

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Traffic heavy on interstates in SC as evacuees make the trek home."