McMaster will keep I-26 lanes reversed for an additional two hours

Those looking for a wide-open road to flee South Carolina’s Lowcountry are running out of time.

That’s because the South Carolina Department of Public Safety will be ending the I-26 lane reversal Wednesday afternoon, the department said.

Originally, the lane were supposed to revert to their normal east and west flow at noon, but S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster tweeted at 12:30 p.m. that the lanes would remain reversed for two additional hours.

“We are still seeing high volumes of evacuees leaving Charleston,” McMaster said, adding that he directed the state’s departments of public safety and transportation to maintain the lane reversal until around 2 p.m.

The department is ending the lane reversal Wednesday at 2 p.m. so that first responders will have time to clear the roads and seek shelter before Hurricane Dorian causes projected hurricane and tropical storm winds to the eastern part of the state, the department said in a tweet.

Drivers will not be able to enter I-26’s eastbound lanes, including I-256, starting at 2 p.m. but drivers will still be able to use I-26 West to flee the storm, the department said.

This story was originally published September 4, 2019 at 12:39 PM.