Multiple interstate lanes to close for roadwork near Malfunction Junction
Over the next week drivers traveling near the area called Malfunction Junction could encounter delays because of roadwork on multiple highways.
Repairs are being made on both Interstate 20 and Interstate 26, and lanes on the highways will be closed overnight, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said on Twitter. The work will affect drivers heading to and from Richland and Lexington counties.
Beginning Wednesday night, a westbound lane on I-20 will be blocked as part of the construction project, SCDOT said.
At 10 p.m., the right lane of the interstate in Columbia will be closed from the 65 to 64 mile markers. It’s scheduled to reopen at 5 o’clock the following morning, according to the tweet.
Crews will be removing overhead signs, SCDOT said.
That’s the area of an hours-long traffic jam on Aug. 20, after a tractor trailer truck avoided a wrong-way driver and hit a highway sign, South Carolina Highway Patrol reported.
There will be a lane closure on I-26 beginning Aug. 31, SCDOT tweeted. Beginning at 8 p.m., a westbound lane between mile markers 103 and 102 will be blocked to oncoming traffic for the installation of duct and fiber, according to the tweet.
The I-26 lane is scheduled to reopen at 7 a.m. on Sept. 1, SCDOT said.
More lanes will be closed further down the highway beginning that same evening.
Two lanes on the westbound stretch of I-26 in Lexington County, from mile marker 119 to 117, will be closed to allow crews to install overhead signs, SCDOT tweeted. The lanes are slated to be blocked from 8 p.m. though 7 a.m. the next day.
The lanes will be closed again for the same purpose the following night, according to the tweet.
These are the most recent of several overnight roadwork projects on the interstates in the area.
Drivers traveling near or through work zones are asked to use caution and be aware of equipment and crews, in order to “Let ‘em Work. Let ‘em Live,” SCDOT said.
This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 1:05 PM.
