Drivers heading to Columbia blocked by crash on highway in Lexington County

Drivers making the Tuesday morning commute toward Columbia were stuck in a miles-long traffic jam following a crash.

All of the eastbound lanes on Interstate 20 were blocked following the collision that happened at about 7:30 a.m., according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

The wreck was near Exit 58 in Lexington County, which is the junction with U.S. 1 and the exit for traffic heading toward Columbia Metropolitan Airport. It’s about 5 miles from the Richland County line, and the area called Malfunction Junction.

No injuries were reported by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Vehicles heading toward downtown Columbia were backed up in a standstill for more than 3 miles on I-20, traffic cameras showed.

Information on what caused the collision, and the number of vehicles involved, was not available.

South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers were on scene working to clear the road, according to Master Trooper David Jones.

Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area if possible, but those who are on that section of I-20 should expect delays, Jones said.

The lanes were reopened at about 8:10 a.m., SCDOT tweeted. But traffic cameras showed there was still congestion in the area back to Exit 55, which is the junction with S.C. 6.

A separate collision was reported on U.S. 1, near the connection with I-20, according to the Lexington Police Department.

One outbound lane is closed and police said to expect congestion in the area.

Information on injuries from the second crash was not available.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 8:09 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription