SCDOT wants to hear your thoughts on ‘Malfunction Junction’ fix

The South Carolina Department of Transportation will hear public comments all day Thursday about the planned Carolina Crossroads Project.

The project, which is part of SCDOT’s 10-year plan, proposes a fix for congestion on the corridor nicknamed “Malfunction Junction,” where I-20, I-26 and I-126 intersect. Plans began in the summer of 2015. There have been five public meetings since, but Thursday’s will be the first hearing on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The community is encouraged to attend and ask questions about the proposed construction, which is slated to start in 2020.

“Nothing is final yet. Comments are extremely important,” said Brian Klauk, the environmental commitment contractor for Carolina Crossroads.

The National Environmental Policy Act requires state agencies to submit a DEIS for large-scale projects that would likely impact the environment, which includes everything from bus routes to water quality and noise pollution. The DEIS is available online and details all the ways SCDOT will mitigate the ripple effect of such a massive project.

The public hearing will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, with formal verbal comment periods at 12:30 p.m., 3 and 6 p.m. at Columbia Conference Center on 169 Laurelhurst Ave.

SCDOT will also take comments until Sept. 17 via email (info@CarolinaCrosswroadsSCDOT.com) or hotline (800-601-8715).

For more information, visit scdotcarolinacrossroads.com.