SCDOT's Strategic 10-Year Plan is moving ahead with an Interstate Improvement Project aimed at improving safety and reducing congestion in the Midlands when the work is completed and beyond. The project is now ready for construction to begin.
Nearly 52,000 vehicles travel in this project corridor every day. The improvements are designed to handle the projected 105,000 vehicles that are expected to travel on this section of I-26 by the year 2040.
The project will improve a 16-mile segment of the Interstate 26 roadway system that stretches from Exit 85 in Little Mountain to Exit 101 in Irmo. The project will widen the I-26 roadway, modify three interchanges and replace seven overpass bridges.
The project will include two sections of roadway widening. It will widen approximately twelve miles of I-26 from four lanes to six lanes from just west of Exit 85 to just west of Exit 97. The project will also widen approximately four miles of I-26 from four lanes to eight lanes from Exit 97 to Exit 101.
The project will upgrade the interchanges at Exit 85, Exit 91, and Exit 97 to meet current state and federal design requirements and replace seven overpass bridges at Parr Road, Holy Trinity Church Road, Peak Street, Old Hilton Road, Mt. Vernon Church Road, Shady Grove Road, and Koon Road.
Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall said this interstate project is another of example of how SCDOT is continuing to expand the agency's road construction program to better serve the state. "This section of I-26 is a vital link in our interstate system that will be improved for the 52,000+ motorists who travel this road daily," said Hall.
She added this project is part of the $3.2 billion in contracts SCDOT has committed for the construction program. That figure represents three times the amount committed since 2008.
The Midlands Connection Project will help to improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion, and enhance safety along the I-26 travel corridor. The primary purpose of this project is to provide more capacity and allow vehicles using this section of I-26 to travel freely with less congestion when the project is completed and into the future.
The project's construction phase will begin in spring 2020 and be complete by spring 2024.
For more information about the Midlands Connection Project, please visit the project website at
www.SCDOTMidlandsConnection.com
or contact Assistant District Construction Engineer Allen Thompson at 803-737-1847.