Two years-long Midlands interstate projects near completion, lanes reopen. What to know

Two major projects intended to update and make safer busy thoroughfares in the Midlands are nearing completion years after they initially began.

Four years after nightly road closures started, all lanes along a 16-mile stretch of Interstate 26 between Irmo and Little Mountain have reopened, the South Carolina Department of Transportation announced Dec. 20. The project, known as the Midlands Connection, included widening parts of the interstate and modifying three interchanges and seven overpass bridges.

“All of these improvements were designed to make travel through this area safer and more efficient,” a spokesperson for DOT said.

The $421 million project widened I-26 from four lanes to six lanes along exit 85 to exit 97 and doubled the interstate to eight lanes from exit 97 to exit 101. It was originally scheduled to be done by the end of 2023.

“Several delays occurred beyond the control of the contractor and the completion date was adjusted to account for those delays,” the DOT spokesperson said, noting delays like this are not uncommon.

Improvements to the interchanges at exits 97 and 91 on I-26 are nearly complete, according to DOT. At the Broad River Road exit, 97, drivers can still expect a few lanes to be closed as crews finish up paving, concrete and signal work. And at exit 91, which lets drivers off onto Columbia Avenue in Chapin, crews are adding additional lanes. All major work is set to be complete by March and final checks are set to be done by August.

Another project, which replaced the Highway 1 bridge over Interstate 20 in Lexington, is nearing completion after the transportation department hung overhead signs in December. The bridge officially opened to drivers in early May and is one step closer to completion early next year, the department announced earlier this month.

The two projects are part of the transportation department’s long-term plan to widen I-26 and a 10-year strategic plan to improve safety, maintain existing infrastructure and increase the efficiency of the roads. DOT is working on more than 100 miles of interstate highway updates, including the massive $2.1 billion Carolina Crossroads project aimed at fixing the tangled mess of roads where Interstates 26, 20 and 126 meet, often referred to as “Malfunction Junction.”