SC seeks to relieve traffic, begins widening rural stretches of I-26

The next step in an accelerated plan to widen rural sections of Interstate 26 between Columbia and Charleston is underway. The project is part of a larger plan to widen the interstate from the Midlands to the coast to alleviate the traffic jams that frequently halt travel. (File Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

CALHOUN COUNTY — The next step in an accelerated plan to widen rural sections of Interstate 26 between Columbia and Charleston is underway, transportation department officials announced Monday.

By the end of 2027, the 11-mile stretch between Gaston and St. Matthews will go from four lanes to six, with three going either direction. That will include rehabilitating or replacing five bridges and building two new ones, according to the transportation department.

Altogether, it will cost the state about $440 million.

“I can’t tell y’all how excited folks are to finally get this project underway,” Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, said Monday.

The project is part of a larger plan to speed up the widening of a 70-mile stretch between Columbia and the coast to alleviate the bottlenecks that frequently halt travel on the key corridor. The section is an economic driver as it’s used by trucks to and from the ports and tourists to and from the beaches.

Along with improving traffic flow, the project will also give emergency vehicles more room to access wrecks, officials said Monday.

Near-standstill traffic on I-26 due to wrecks or just high volume often results in drivers detouring through country roads to avoid long delays, causing problems for small towns and unincorporated areas just off the highway. Completing the next 11-mile section should prevent that, said Ott, who represents Calhoun County.

Completing the corridor will also make evacuating in case of a hurricane faster, Gov. Henry McMaster said.

When hurricanes threaten the South Carolina coast, transportation officials reverse south-bound lanes of I-26 so that all traffic can flow away from the coast out of harm’s way.

“This is a central part of our infrastructure and a great part of our future,” McMaster said.

South Carolina has the nation’s fourth-largest state highway system serving the fastest-growing population, according to the latest U.S. Census Data .

That growth led lawmakers, in 2022, to speed up the widening of stretches of interstate considered critical to the state’s economy, using $453.5 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic aid and $133.6 million in state dollars designated for rural interstates.

Now, workers will be able complete the entire I-26 project by 2034, six years ahead of the original schedule for the 70 miles that were still two lanes each way.

The first 33 miles of Interstate 95 coming into South Carolina from Savannah, Georgia, also should be six total lanes by 2030.

Should a surplus go to a 1-time property tax cut or reducing SC income taxes?

After the newest 11 miles in Lexington and Calhoun counties, crews will have three or four more stretches of I-26 to tackle, depending on how the department decides to split up the work, said transportation Secretary Justin Powell.

The next nine-mile phase will likely begin next year, as crews continue to work their way southeast. Widening on the final 20-mile segment, all in Orangeburg County, will begin in 2029, he said.

Officials are hoping to keep interstates open throughout construction, Powell said.

The project also ties into the revamping of several interchanges, including the one connecting Interstates 95 and 26 in Orangeburg County.

An even bigger project is fixing Carolina Crossroads — better known as Malfunction Junction — in Columbia.

Malfunction Junction in particular has been a thorn in Columbia travelers’ sides. The spot where interstates 20, 26 and 126 meet is notoriously tricky to navigate, and officials hope clearing up the 14 miles surrounding them will make entering and leaving Columbia easier.

“Thank goodness that’s being done,” said Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-West Columbia.

Work is also underway on widening sections of I-26 north of Malfunction Junction.

Crews started widening the 16-mile stretch from Little Mountain to Irmo , just northwest of Columbia, in 2020. They will complete that project by the end of this year.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify how many miles of I-26 widening are involved in the accelerated schedule and correct that the I-26/I-95 interchange is in Orangeburg County.

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