It’s going to be more difficult to get in, and out, of downtown Columbia this weekend

Long-term benefits are in store for drivers who commute to and from Columbia. Unfortunately, it will come at the expense of some short-term detours.

Three heavily traveled roads flowing traffic in and out of downtown Columbia will be closed at different times the next three days for road repairs, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

Construction will affect I-126, Huger Street and Elmwood Avenue this weekend, the SCDOT reported.

It is part of a “10-year plan to improve safety, rehabilitate the aging interstate and mend the existing bridge,” SCDOT said in a news release.

The SCDOT reported the following roads will be closed as follows:

• Friday from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. — I-126 eastbound to Huger Street
• Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. — I-126 eastbound to Elmwood Avenue
• Sunday from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. — Huger Street to I-126 westbound

Information on detours will be posted on message boards, according to the SCDOT, which is trying to minimize the impacts of the closures.