Image by flickr user It'sGregImage by 20080713roadwork.jpg Orange traffic barrels do not make our heart go all aflutter, and it looks like we'll be seeing lots on I-26 in the coming years.
Update August 3: Drivers may have lucked out for the short-term. Because of last-minute paper wrangling, the meat of the construction looks like it will be delayed for a week or two.
Original post: For a decade plans and preparation have been made to widen a stretch of I-26 from three lanes to four, well that is done and construction is to begin August 4.
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Remove part of clover leaf and instead add turn lights |markers=small blue::32.89861471370726,-80.02063751220703:Remount Road
On and off ramps for all directions |zoom=12 |center=32.91706175931007,-80.03368377685547 |width=220px |height=270px |control=Small |type=Map]
The targeted 3-mile stretch of road spans roughly from I-26's juncture with I-526 to Ashley Phosphate Road, arguable one of the busiest sections in town.
The project will also improve on and off ramps for Aviation Avenue and Remount Road, including adding new ones for Remount Road.
The project's Web site says construction workers will:
Construct separate exit lanes, like at Ashley Phosphate Road, for the Aviation Avenue and Remount Road exits.
- This will keep exit ramp traffic from slowing I-26 traffic.
Reconstruct the Aviation Avenue interchange
- Replace the existing overpass with a wider overpass.
- Realign the exit ramps to improve traffic flow to and from I-26.
Reconstruct the Remount Road interchange
- Replace the existing overpass with a wider overpass.
- Add an on-ramp onto I-26 Westbound
- Add an off-ramp from I-26 Eastbound.
Realign Fain Street alongside Interstate 26
It's being called one of South Carolina's most expensive road projects that doesn't involve a bridge, and at $66 million it's about one-tenth the price of the Cooper River Bridge.
If you drive through the area regularly
You'll be delighted to know that lane closure aren't permitted during the day, but speed limits will be dropped to 45 mph through the construction zone.
Also, consider visiting the project's Web site to get more info and sign up for alerts on construction.
But, The Post and Courier says this could effectively only be a temporary fix:
The traffic count on I-26 between Remount Road and the Mark Clark Expressway is 140,800, based on 2007 SCDOT figures.
A six-lane road's maximum capacity before failure is 117,800 vehicles per day, said Tony Sheppard, a SCDOT traffic engineer. Adding an additional lane will bring I-26's capacity along that stretch to 157,000 vehicles per day, he said.
Ah, roads, as soon as they're done with this one it looks like we might be in for more I-26 construction. I'm starting to like the prospect of a train more.
