SCDOT to start Major Upgrade to Exit 95 Interchange of the I-85 Widening Project in Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties

As part of the Interstate 85 widening project in Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties, the interchange at exit 95 will be rebuilt and modernized with a new bridge and new ramps to provide safer, improved traffic flow.

Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall said, "The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is working to modernize this interchange as well as the rest of the 21-mile-long I-85 corridor through Spartanburg and Cherokee counties – an $830 million investment for this vital part of South Carolina's transportation system."

At the exit 95 interchange, SCDOT is building a higher, wider Pleasant School Road bridge designed to accommodate 6 lanes of traffic below, with room for future widening, on the interstate. The current bridge is 15 feet high and 28 feet wide; the new one will be 20 feet high, 70 feet wide with 12-foot lanes in each direction, a turn lane and 10-foot shoulders.

The new interchange will also increase safety by eliminating the current two-way traffic on ramps leading to frontage roads, making the new ramps one-directional. This will eliminate an antiquated traffic pattern and bring it up to current standards.

To expedite this exciting improvement process, the ramps at Exit 95, along with Pleasant School Road over I-85, will be closed beginning Sept. 28, 2021.

This closure is expected to last approximately 9 months, and the schedule could be affected by adverse weather or utility issues.

I-85 drivers wishing to use exit 95 will be detoured to Exit 96. To access the City of Gaffney, traffic will use Exit 96 to SC 18. To access Pleasant School Road and/or UPS, traffic will use Exit 96 to Wilcox Avenue. The net detour length is approximately 1.4 miles. Note: Wilcox Avenue will be open and SC 18 be open on new location in this section, making the detour more manageable.

SCDOT continues to urge motorists to slow down, pay attention and drive carefully as the contractor works on the reconstruction and widening of 21 miles of I-85 between mile markers 77 and 98 in Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties.

The 2 maps below show the detour beginning Sept. 28.

Exit 95 UPS.pdf

Exit 95 detour SC 18.pdf

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