Interstate 26 (I-26) is a South Carolina Interstate highway running generally east–west from near Landrum, in Spartanburg County, to U.S. Route 17 (US 17), in Charleston, South Carolina. It is also the longest Interstate Highway in South Carolina.
.svg) Interstate 26 | |
|---|---|
| James F. Byrnes Memorial Freeway | |
 I-26 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by SCDOT | |
| Length | 220.95 mi[1] (355.58 km) |
| Existed | 1960–present |
| NHS | Entire route |
| Major junctions | |
| West end |  I-26 at the North Carolina line near Landrum |
 I-85 near Spartanburg I-385 in Clinton I-20 near Columbia  I-126 / US 76 in Columbia I-77 in Cayce I-95 near Holly Hill I-526 in North Charleston | |
| East end |  US 17 in Charleston |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| Counties | Spartanburg, Laurens, Newberry, Lexington, Richland, Calhoun, Orangeburg, Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston |
| Highway system | |
Route description
editI-26 runs 221 miles (356 km) through South Carolina. Milemarkers run from west (north) to east (south). Milemarker 0 is in the mountains at the North Carolina state line. The last exit, at US 17 south of Charleston, is exit 221.
I-26 runs between the Broad and Saluda Rivers, descending from the mountains to the piedmont or midlands. At Columbia, I-126 crosses the confluence of the Broad and Saluda, which together form the Congaree, near the Columbia Canal and water treatment plant. I-26 continues following the Congaree until it hops south over into the Cooper and Ashley Drainage, then down to the coast.
I-26 is predominantly a four-lane rural Interstate with 70-mile-per-hour (110 km/h) speed limits. In the Columbia and Charleston areas, the Interstate widens to six lanes, but speeds are lower.
I-26 enters South Carolina just northeast of Landrum, traveling a southeasterly direction. The first major city along its route is Spartanburg, where it intersects I-85 to Greenville and Charlotte. As the Interstate weaves along the terrain, it reaches Clinton; where westbound travelers can connect with I-385 toward Greenville. Traveling through the Sumter National Forest, it connects with Newberry before entering the Midlands. At Columbia in a section known as "Malfunction Junction", it connects with I-20 to Augusta and Florence and I-126 toward the downtown area; it then goes south over the Saluda River and into Lexington County for the second of eventually four times along its course. At Cayce, it connects with I-77 to Charlotte. South of Cayce, the Interstate goes up and down a few very long hills before reaching the outskirts of Orangeburg and I-95 to Savannah and Florence. As it enters the relatively flat plains of the Lowcountry, the area becomes urbanized as the Interstate encroaches upon North Charleston and Charleston. As the Interstate curves through the peninsula formed by the Ashley and Cooper rivers, it connects with I-526 to Savannah and Mount Pleasant. Near the end, it overlaps with US 17 from its new interchange (from the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge) to where the old interchange remnants and where I-26 ends (formally where the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge and Silas N. Pearman Bridge connected).
Services
editThe South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) operates and maintains one welcome center and seven rest areas along I-26. Welcome centers, which have a travel information facility on site, are located at milemarker 3 (eastbound); rest areas are located at milemarkers 63 (east and westbound), 123 (east and westbound), 150 (eastbound), 152 (westbound), and 204 (eastbound).[2] Common at all locations are public restrooms, public telephones, vending machines, picnic area, and barbecue grills.[3]
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) and State Transport Police (STP) operates and maintains three truck inspection/weigh stations. A westbound weigh station can be found at milemarker 93.5 in Chapin 17 miles (27 km) west of Columbia, and two others at milemarker 173 (eastbound) and milemarker 174 (westbound) in Harleyville east of the interchanges with I-95 and US 15.[4][5]
History
edit
Construction of I-26 began in 1957 in the Columbia area with the nine-mile (14 km) section from the Broad River to near Irmo.[6] The 11-mile (18 km) section of I-26 from I-126/US 76 in Columbia to US 176 at exit 97 was the first section of the highway to open up to traffic (on September 7, 1960). The six-mile (9.7 km) section from South Carolina Highway 210 (SC 210) to US 15 opened in September 1962.[7] Construction proceeded in stages heading both west up toward Greenville and east toward Charleston. The highway was largely completed from Columbia to North Charleston by 1964; the section from Aviation Avenue to the highway's terminus at US 17 in downtown Charleston progressed more slowly due to land takings for the right-of-way and numerous bridges and viaducts that had to be built. The entire 221 miles (356 km) of I-26 were completed by February 1969.[6]
In the 1980s–1990s, I-26 around Columbia was widened from four to six lanes. In the mid-1990s, the North Charleston area was also widened from four to six lanes, part of which was further widened to eight lanes in the early 2010s. In 2005, the US 17 was realigned to a new interchange with I-26 at exit 220 from exit 221; the old interchange was mostly torn down and reconfigured, leaving the I-26 viaduct eastbound offramp and westbound onramps with US 17 south. In the mid-2010s, I-26 was widened southeast of Columbia from I-77 to Old Sandy Run Road. Starting in 2019 or 2020, a long stretch of I-26 northwest of Columbia will begin widening construction from four to six lanes from SC 202 at Little Mountain to US 76/US 176 at Irmo.
In 2011, a plan to add a lane in each direction between Broad River Road and Saint Andrews Road through "Malfunction Junction" had $8.5 million (equivalent to $11.51 million in 2023) in funding but was expected to start sometime after 2012 and take two years.[8]
On October 5, 2016, I-26 had all lanes converted to westbound only, from I-77 to I-526, due to Hurricane Matthew.[9] This was done again on September 11, 2018, due to Hurricane Florence,[10] and in September 2019 for Hurricane Dorian.[11]
On November 19, 2016, construction began in Charleston to demolish, reconfigure, and replace exits 217 and 218, related to a new access road to the Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal; the interchange was opened on February 23, 2021.[12][13]
On October 18, 2018, SCDOT approved widening I-26 between Columbia and Charleston. SCDOT plans to widen I-26 from Old Sandy Run Road in Calhoun County to Ridgeville Road (SC 27) in Berkeley County.[14] Work on the road widening project officially began in October 2022.[15]
On July 6, 2023, a tractor trailer pulling an excavator hit a bridge carrying Bachman Chapel Road over I-26 in Newberry when it was too tall to clear it. The bridge was deemed to be so damaged that it was closed indefinitely. The driver of the truck did not stop.[16][17]
Future
editSCDOT is currently working on several projects to improve I-26 along its entire route in South Carolina.[18] In Columbia, work has begun on the "Carolina Crossroads" project to redo improve the Interstate corridors in the city.[19] These improvements are being made increase mobility and enhance traffic operations by reducing existing traffic congestion within the I-20/I-26/I-126 corridor, while accommodating future traffic needs.[20][21] The corridor's approximately 16 miles (26 km) of mainline Interstate include I-26 from exit 101 (Broad River Road/US 176) to east of the Saluda River, I-20 from the west of the Saluda River to west of the Broad River, and I-126 from I-26 to east of the interchange with Colonial Life Boulevard.[22] A $62.1 million project to convert the US 21 interchange south of Columbia from a partial cloverleaf interchange to a diamond interchange started in May 2023 and is expected to be completed in 2026. Another project to redo exit 91 will be fully opened on July 12, 2023.[23] Long-term plans call for much of I-26 to be widened from four to six lanes between Columbia and Charleston. The project is expected to cost $2 billion and will also include rebuilding bridges and reconfiguring interchanges, including I-95 interchange near Holly Hill. Bidding for at least a part of the 70-mile-long (110 km) project is expected to begin by the end of 2023 with construction tentatively scheduled to start in the middle of 2024.[24]
Auxiliary routes
editI-26 in South Carolina has two extant and one former auxiliary route. I-126 in Columbia and I-526 in Charleston are spur routes in their respective cities. I-326 was an unsigned designation that was decommissioned and is now part of I-77 in Columbia.[citation needed]
Exit list
edit| County | Location | mi[25] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spartanburg | | 0.0 | 0.0 |  I-26 west – Hendersonville, Asheville | Continuation into North Carolina | |
| Landrum | 0.9 | 1.4 | 1 |   SC 14 east – Landrum | ||
| | 5.3 | 8.5 | 5 |  SC 11 (Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway) – Campobello, Chesnee | ||
| | 10.0 | 16.1 | 10 |  SC 292 – Inman | ||
| | 14.0 | 22.5 | 15 |  US 176 – Inman, Spartanburg | ||
| | 15.4 | 24.8 | 16 | John Dodd Road – Wellford | ||
| Southern Shops | 16.7 | 26.9 | 17 | New Cut Road | ||
| 17.8 | 28.6 | 18 | I-85 – Greenville, Charlotte | Signed as exits 18A (south) and 18B (north) | ||
| 18.6 | 29.9 | 19 |  I-85 BL – Greenville, Spartanburg | Signed as exits 19A (south) and 19B (north) | ||
| Spartanburg | 21.0 | 33.8 | 21 |  US 29 – Greer, Spartanburg | Signed as exits 21A (south) and 21B (north); to Westgate Mall | |
| 22.0 | 35.4 | 22 |  SC 296 (Reidville Road) – Spartanburg, Reidville | |||
| Moore | 28.1 | 45.2 | 28 |  US 221 – Spartanburg, Moore, Woodruff | ||
| | 34.5 | 55.5 | 35 | Walnut Grove Road – Woodruff | ||
| | 38.0 | 61.2 | 38 |  SC 146 – Cross Anchor, Woodruff | ||
| | 40.6 | 65.3 | 41 |  SC 92 – Enoree, Cross Anchor | ||
| | 44.1 | 71.0 | 44 |  SC 49 – Laurens, Cross Anchor, Union | ||
| Laurens | Clinton | 51.8 | 83.4 | 51 |  I-385 north – Laurens, Greenville | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| 52.5 | 84.5 | 52 |  SC 56 – Clinton, Cross Anchor | |||
| 53.6 | 86.3 | 54 |  SC 72 – Clinton, Whitmire | |||
| | 59.7 | 96.1 | 60 |  SC 66 (Whitmire Highway) – Joanna, Whitmire | ||
| Newberry | | 66.2 | 106.5 | 66 | Jalapa Road– Jalapa | Formerly Road 32 |
| | 71.5 | 115.1 | 72 |  SC 121 – Newberry, Whitmire, Union | ||
| Newberry | 74.0 | 119.1 | 74 |  SC 34 – Newberry, Winnsboro | ||
| 76.0 | 122.3 | 76 |  SC 219 – Newberry, Pomaria | |||
| | 82.2 | 132.3 | 82 |  SC 773 – Prosperity, Pomaria | ||
| | 85.2 | 137.1 | 85 |  SC 202 – Pomaria, Little Mountain | ||
| Lexington | Chapin | 91.2 | 146.8 | 91 | Columbia Avenue – Chapin | |
| Richland | | 96.5 | 155.3 | 97 | US 176 – Ballentine, White Rock, Peak | |
| Irmo | 101.4 | 163.2 | 101 |  US 76 west / US 176 (Broad River Road) – Ballentine, White Rock | Western end of US 76 overlap; signed as exits 101A (west) and 101B (east) | |
| 102.2 | 164.5 | 102 |  SC 60 (Lake Murray Boulevard) – Lake Murray, Irmo | Signed as exits 102A (west) and 102B (east) | ||
| Columbia | 103.4 | 166.4 | 103 | Harbison Boulevard | To Columbiana Centre | |
| Lexington | Seven Oaks | 104.3 | 167.9 | 104 | Piney Grove Road | |
| 106.4 | 171.2 | 106 | St. Andrews Road | Signed as exits 106A (west) and 106B (east) westbound | ||
| Richland | St. Andrews | 107.1 | 172.4 | 107 | I-20 – Augusta, Florence | Signed as exits 107A (west) and 107B (east); I-20 exit 64 |
| 107.8 | 173.5 | 108 |   I-126 east / US 76 east – Downtown Columbia | Eastern end of US 76 overlap. Left hand exit eastbound. Westbound exit features access to Colonial Life Boulevard or Interstate 126. | ||
| Lexington | West Columbia | 109.7 | 176.5 | 110 |  US 378 – Lexington, West Columbia | |
| 111.3 | 179.1 | 111 |    US 1 to SC 12 – Lexington, West Columbia | Signed as exits 111A (south) and 111B (north) | ||
| Cayce | 113.2 | 182.2 | 113 |  SC 302 – Columbia Airport, Cayce | ||
| 115.1 | 185.2 | 115 |   US 21 / US 176 / US 321 – Gaston, Cayce | |||
| 115.6 | 186.0 | 116 | I-77 north – Charlotte | Southern terminus of I-77 | ||
| | 119.5 | 192.3 | 119 | US 21 / US 176 – St. Matthews, Dixiana | ||
| Calhoun | | 124.6 | 200.5 | 125 | Old Sandy Run Road – Gaston | |
| Lexington | | 128.7 | 207.1 | 129 | US 21 | |
| Calhoun | | 136.3 | 219.4 | 136 |  SC 6 – North, St. Matthews, Swansea | |
| | 139.3 | 224.2 | 139 | Burke Road – St. Matthews | ||
| Orangeburg | | 145.3 | 233.8 | 145 |  US 601 – Orangeburg, St. Matthews | |
| | 148.5 | 239.0 | 149 |  SC 33 – Orangeburg, Cameron | To SC State University and Claflin University | |
| | 154.2 | 248.2 | 154 |  US 301 – Orangeburg, Santee | Signed as exits 154A (south) and 154B (north) | |
| | 159.0 | 255.9 | 159 | Homestead Road – Bowman | ||
| | 164.7 | 265.1 | 165 |  SC 210 – Bowman, Vance | ||
| | 168.5 | 271.2 | 169 | I-95 – Savannah, Florence | Signed as exits 169A (south) and 169B (north) | |
| Dorchester | | 171.5 | 276.0 | 172 |  US 15 – St. George, Santee, Holly Hill | Signed as exits 172A (south) and 172B (north) |
| | 177.0 | 284.9 | 177 |  SC 453 – Harleyville, Holly Hill | ||
| | 187.4 | 301.6 | 187 |  SC 27 – Ridgeville, St. George | ||
| Berkeley | | 189.2 | 304.5 | 189 | Volvo Car Drive | To Geely manufacturing plant |
| | 194.4 | 312.9 | 194 | Jedburg Road – Jedburg, Pinopolis | Signed as exits 194A (south) and 194B (north) westbound; formerly Road 16 | |
| Summerville | 197.5 | 317.8 | 197 | Nexton Parkway | Signed as exits 197A (south) and 197B (north) westbound | |
| 199.0 | 320.3 | 199 |  US 17 Alt. – Summerville, Moncks Corner | Signed as exits 199A (south) and 199B (north) | ||
| Ladson | 203.2 | 327.0 | 203 | College Park Road – Ladson | ||
| Charleston | North Charleston | 205.0 | 329.9 | 205 |    US 78 to US 52 – Goose Creek, Ladson | Signed as exits 205A (west) and 205B (east); to Charleston Southern University |
| Weber Boulevard | ||||||
| 208.1 | 334.9 | 209A | US 52 Conn. north to US 52 / US 78 – Goose Creek, Moncks Corner | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; southern terminus of US 52 Conn. | ||
| 208.6 | 335.7 | 209B | Ashley Phosphate Road | Signed as exit 209 eastbound; to Northwoods Mall | ||
| 211.1 | 339.7 | 211A | Aviation Avenue – Charleston AFB | |||
| 211.6 | 340.5 | 211B | Remount Road – Hanahan | Formerly exit 211 before 2012; exits connected in both directions via collector-distributor lanes | ||
| 212.6 | 342.1 | 212 | I-526 – Savannah, Mount Pleasant | Signed as exits 212B (west) and 212C (east) | ||
| 213.5 | 343.6 | 213 | Montague Avenue / Tanger Outlet Boulevard / Mall Drive | Signed as exits 213A (Montague Avenue west, Tanger Outlet Boulevard) and 213B (Montague Avenue east) eastbound; eastbound exit only to Tanger Outlet Boulevard, westbound exit and entrance only to Mall Drive | ||
| 215.5 | 346.8 | 215 |  SC 642 (Dorchester Road) | |||
| 216.3 | 348.1 | 216 |  SC 7 (Cosgrove Avenue) – Federal Complex | Signed as exits 216A (south) and 216B (north) | ||
| Charleston | 217.3 | 349.7 | 217 | US 52 (North Meeting Street) / Port Access Road / Bainbridge Avenue | To Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal. Signed as 217/218 eastbound, 218 westbound | |
| 219.0 | 352.4 | 219A | Rutledge Avenue – The Citadel | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| 219.3 | 352.9 | 219B | Morrison Drive / East Bay Street (US 52 Spur) | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| 220.2 | 354.4 | 220A | Romney Street | Westbound exit only | ||
| 220.3 | 354.5 | 220B |  US 17 north – Mount Pleasant, Georgetown | Western end of US 17 overlap; signed as exit 220 eastbound; no eastbound entrance | ||
| 220.4 | 354.7 | 221B | Meeting Street – Visitor Center, Downtown | Eastbound left exit only | ||
| 220.7 | 355.2 | — | King Street (US 78) | Eastbound left exit only | ||
| 221A |  US 17 south – Savannah | Eastern end of US 17 overlap; continuation beyond eastern terminus | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| ||||||
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ South Carolina Interstate 26 (Interstate Rest Areas)
- ^ "SC Rest Areas Map". South Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
- ^ South Carolina Weigh Station & DOT Information (Coops are Open)
- ^ "Distance between Exits 172 A-B (US 15) and eastbound Truck Weigh Station" (Map). Google Maps.
- ^ a b "Economic Development History of Interstate 26 in South Carolina". Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^ "Another Stretch of I-26 is Open". The News and Courier. September 24, 1962. Retrieved March 7, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Littlefield, Susan-Elizabeth (2011). "DOT looking for suggestions to fix 'malfunction junction'". Columbia, SC: WIS. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
- ^ Behre, Robert (October 3, 2016). "Get out of town: I-26 lane reversal may get real test Epic traffic snarl during Hurricane Floyd led to change". The Post and Courier. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
- ^ Jackson, Angie (September 10, 2018). "I-26 east to close from Columbia to Charleston early Tuesday to set up for lane reversal". The Post and Courier. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ Daprile, Lucas (September 4, 2019). "McMaster will keep I-26 lanes reversed for an additional two hours". The State.
- ^ "I-26 exit ramps to close for new port access project to begin". Charleston, SC: WCBD-TV. November 18, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ Wren, David (February 24, 2021). "Road linking I-26 to new Port of Charleston terminal opens to traffic". The Post and Courier. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ "At last, I-26 widening is a priority". The Times and Democrat. October 28, 2018.
- ^ Rose Brown, Martha (April 23, 2023). "S.C. kicks off Interstate 26 widening project". The Times and Democrat. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ "Accident causes bridge closure over I-26 in Newberry County". WLTX-TV. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ Tran-Ozuna, Tiffany (July 7, 2023). "Newberry I-26 bridge closes indefinitely". WIS-TV. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ Mitchell, Conner (August 7, 2019). "SC DOT gathers feedback on ways to make Interstate 26 corridor less congested". Post and Courier. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ Lawrence, Jordan (April 26, 2023). "'Malfunction Junction' work to close I-20 exit ramp onto I-26". Lexington County Chronicle. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ Lawson, Walker (May 17, 2023). "Arrowwood Road, off I-26, will soon be closed for 3 months". WLTX-TV. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ Marchant, Bristow (May 16, 2023). "Columbia road closure off I-26 in will last for 3 months". The State. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ "Construction Phasing". South Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ "New I-26 Exit 91 overpass and ramps set to open". Cola Daily. July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ "SCDOT Begins Work On Fixing I-26's 'Tangled Mess of Ramps'". Construction Equipment Guide. May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ "Interstate 26 in South Carolina" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
External links
edit
Media related to Interstate 26 in South Carolina at Wikimedia Commons- Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page: I-26
- Economic Development History of Interstate 26 in South Carolina - Federal Highway Administration
