Years-long traffic shift will affect drivers on major interstate in Lexington County
A major traffic shift will take place on an interstate that runs through Lexington County that will affect drivers and potentially slow traffic, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said Wednesday.
As part of the widening project on Interstate 20, there will be a new shift for all eastbound vehicles, SCDOT said in a news release.
Road work will begin on Saturday for the stretch of I-20 running from Exit 51 (Longs Pond Road) to Exit 61 (U.S. 378), according to the release. It was originally scheduled to start Thursday night, but was delayed because of rainy weather in the forecast, SCDOT said.
Drivers heading toward Columbia will be shifted from the current lanes, which will be removed and rebuilt along with a bridge that runs over Meat Plant Road, onto the newly constructed inside lanes, SCDOT said.
These new lanes will be separated by concrete barriers, meaning anyone looking to use Exit 55 (S.C. 6), or Exit 58 (U.S. 1) must remain in the right-hand lane.
SCDOT said the split will run from mile marker 53 to 60.
It’s estimated it will take three days to complete the new alignment, which will cause lanes and exits to be closed in addition to detours being set up, according to the release.
Speed limits will be reduced in the work zone and wide loads are asked to use US-178 and SC-302 as an alternate route, according to the release.
The new traffic pattern is expected to remain in place for a considerably longer amount of time, as drivers must negotiate the shift for approximately nine months, according to the release.
Once the road work on the eastbound lanes has been completed, a similar traffic shift will occur in the reverse direction to remove and reconstruct the westbound lanes, SCDOT said.
The road work is part of a project to widen the 11-mile stretch of I-20, adding a third inside lane in both directions aimed at reducing traffic congestion, according to the release. SCDOT said it is expected to be completed in the summer of 2021.
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This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 1:54 PM.
