South Carolina

[wriddle082]

https://www.live5news.com/2025/08/15/billions-dollars-going-toward-interstate-widening-across-sc-with-more-come/

More infrastructure money coming to SC!

SCDOT wants to widen the following interstate corridors:
1. I-95 between the GA/SC state line to the I-26 interchange and from the I-20 interchange to the SC/NC state line
2. I-26 between the I-385 interchange to Charleston
3. I-85 between Greenville and Spartanburg (start date pushed back to 2030) and from GA/SC state line to Anderson
4. I-77 from Rock Hill to Chester County
5. I-526 around Charleston (a $7 billion project)

As for I-73 in SC - needs more support from the local leaders around that corridor...

Article mentions that a few of these corridors are under construction already, I think.

Of what's listed above, they're only really working on I-26 SE of Columbia from Exit 125 to Exit 136 and NW of Charleston from Exit 187 to Exit 194, and they're wrapping up construction on I-26 NW of Columbia from Exit 85 to Exit 101.  And they're adding flyovers to the I-26/I-95 interchange, and there's the massive Carolina Crossroads project in Columbia, which will widen and rebuild interchanges on I-26, I-20, and I-126.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I drive GA state line to Anderson 4-5 times a month, don't ever see a backup.

[sprjus4]

I drive GA state line to Anderson 4-5 times a month, don't ever see a backup.

The entire I-85 corridor between Atlanta and Durham definitely warrants 6 lanes throughout at minimum. Significant amount of truck traffic.

[Plutonic Panda]

South Carolina also look for more funding: https://www.islandpacket.com/news/politics-government/article311775751.html

[Plutonic Panda]

Article about various projects in the state:

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/after-receiving-more-funding-sc-dot-in-an-expansive-mood/68897

[wriddle082]

"Experts say SC isn't generating enough revenue to fix our roads. Here's what lawmakers want to do. South Carolina lawmakers were told the state faces a growing gap between road needs and available funding."

https://www.wltx.com/article/news/state/south-carolina-roads-repair-revenue-shortfall/101-9260e7c2-d54c-4294-b872-9729d6794059

(Personally I'm all for the higher fees for electric vehicles, which tend to be heavier than comparable internal combustion engine or hybrid vehicles, as well as additional fees for heavy commercial vehicles.  A slight gas tax raise could help as well, as SC's isn't nearly as high as NC's, which generally has a comparable cost of living.)

[The Ghostbuster]

Higher fees for electric vehicles might help but probably would not raise enough revenue to fully fund the shortfall. I wouldn't be surprised if new toll roads or new toll lanes are built in South Carolina in the future.

[wriddle082]

Higher fees for electric vehicles might help but probably would not raise enough revenue to fully fund the shortfall. I wouldn't be surprised if new toll roads or new toll lanes are built in South Carolina in the future.

The only existing road feasible for tolling in SC is I-95 since it serves less in-state traffic than the other interstates, and I-73 could easily be built as a toll road for the same reasoning.  Everything else just needs widening and resurfacing, and tolls would never fly with the locals.

[PColumbus73]

"Experts say SC isn't generating enough revenue to fix our roads. Here's what lawmakers want to do. South Carolina lawmakers were told the state faces a growing gap between road needs and available funding."

https://www.wltx.com/article/news/state/south-carolina-roads-repair-revenue-shortfall/101-9260e7c2-d54c-4294-b872-9729d6794059

(Personally I'm all for the higher fees for electric vehicles, which tend to be heavier than comparable internal combustion engine or hybrid vehicles, as well as additional fees for heavy commercial vehicles.  A slight gas tax raise could help as well, as SC's isn't nearly as high as NC's, which generally has a comparable cost of living.)

I felt like after the gas tax increase, there has been some progress with catching up on SCDOT's backlog. SC already levies a 'Road User Fee' on vehicle registration, which I think they should just call it a tax and be done with it. Maybe replace it with a tax based on vehicle weight, that might cover electric vehicles since they are generally heavier than gas vehicles.

SCDOT could possibly turn over minor streets within city limits.

I don't think South Carolina would be one to implement permanent tolls, and I don't really care for adding toll lanes with general purpose lanes.

[PColumbus73]

Coming back from Ohio, these signs at US 501 & SC 38 are completely unreadable.

[wriddle082]

Coming back from Ohio, these signs at US 501 & SC 38 are completely unreadable.

And here is one on I-95 north in Dillon where you get to use your imagination and make up your own SC route numbers.

[PColumbus73]

https://www.live5news.com/2025/12/10/first-alert-don-holt-cosgrove-bridges-reopen-after-crashes-icy-conditions/

https://www.wmbfnews.com/2025/12/10/1-taken-hospital-after-ice-causes-multiple-crashes-highway-544-horry-county/

Temperatures dropped below freezing last night, causing fog and black ice on many bridges from Charleston to Myrtle Beach. There were car crashes all over the place this morning, including multiple crashes on single bridges.

I live in Georgetown and typically leave for work at 7:00 in Pawleys Island and wasn't able to get there until Noon due to multiple crashes on the US 17 bridge between Georgetown and Pawleys Island.

[ElishaGOtis]

Mods - please remove if this is too political for this page. I just found this interesting and thought I'd share it somewhere road related.

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/192.htm

Found this bill prefiled in January in the legislature that would enact a requirement to participate in field sobriety testing, and a refusal to do so will result in a 6-month license suspension (FSTs being any NHTSA Standard Field Sobriety Test / SFST, saying the alphabet from E to R, standing on one leg and tilting back, etc). I believe this would be the first state in the USA that would have such requirement. Many states have it where the refusal can be used against you in court, but none that I'm aware of have an automatic DL suspension provision for refusal.

I will clarify that FSTs are different than a field breathalyzer or any field sample collection, as specified in the code. I think.

Probably not going to pass given it's been idle for almost a year, but I still found this interesting to share lol 

(will also clarify that I'm not a fan of this despite finding it interesting...)

EDIT: Apparently SC already has a law on the books mandating FSTs in the event of a crash resulting in death & the driver is suspected of DUI.

[PColumbus73]

https://www.postandcourier.com/business/aerospace/boeing-sc-north-charleston-787-dreamliner-kelly-ortberg/article_685d3eac-b4f8-4624-b77f-73d0e333aab0.html

I was trying to find construction plans for the Boeing expansion and International Blvd. The graphic in the Post & Courier article suggests that there would be an at-grade crossing between the Boeing tarmac and International Blvd. The only other example I can think of would be the runway crossing in Gibraltar, which was later bypassed and closed. It would be interesting to find out if this would be open to the public, or at least until a new airport access can be built to the terminal.

The Charleston airport and the Boeing complex is a really unfortunate layout. If they relocated the main entrance to connect to Montague Ave, then it might be better to have the connection at the intersection with Dorchester Road and Montague Ave.

[ElishaGOtis]

https://www.postandcourier.com/business/aerospace/boeing-sc-north-charleston-787-dreamliner-kelly-ortberg/article_685d3eac-b4f8-4624-b77f-73d0e333aab0.html

I was trying to find construction plans for the Boeing expansion and International Blvd. The graphic in the Post & Courier article suggests that there would be an at-grade crossing between the Boeing tarmac and International Blvd. The only other example I can think of would be the runway crossing in Gibraltar, which was later bypassed and closed. It would be interesting to find out if this would be open to the public, or at least until a new airport access can be built to the terminal.

The Charleston airport and the Boeing complex is a really unfortunate layout. If they relocated the main entrance to connect to Montague Ave, then it might be better to have the connection at the intersection with Dorchester Road and Montague Ave.

There exists this one on Eglin AFB. It's signed with "Aircraft Pedestrian Crossing" and another stating "Stop Here When Flashing". Obviously no street view nor did I take a photo but here it is...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/svKsrSpp4awnq5aQ9?g_st=ipc

Google no SR-397 does not go on base...

I think there are 2 more in the UK as well.

[Plutonic Panda]

South Carolina launching an I-85 study:

https://aashtojournal.transportation.org/scdot-plans-to-conduct-i-85-corridor-study-in-2026/

[The Ghostbuster]

I was hoping the corridor study would include reconfiguring Exit 72 to add free-flow ramp so Interstate 585 could connect with Interstate 85 again. Alas, with the study only going from Exit 34 to Exit 69, I'll have to wait for another study for that to come into fruition.

[Great Lakes Roads]

https://www.wltx.com/article/news/state/proposal-to-overhaul-scdot/101-b64769ee-ae40-4d52-aa31-8ed87a287a28

A massive overhaul might be coming to SCDOT.

[Plutonic Panda]

Seems its just a lot of small flies to get toll lanes to be able to be added.

[PColumbus73]

I think toll lanes might be a hard sell. They might work on I-85 and maybe I-26 in the Charleston area, but I feel like toll lanes are more beneficial in the larger metro areas, like Atlanta and Charlotte.

As an aside, I'm not much of a fan of the HOT / tolled express lanes. Either toll the whole highway, or don't, in my opinion.

[PColumbus73]

Came across this interesting bridge in St. Matthews:

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6655834,-80.7769542,3a,55.8y,62.54h,85.2t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sSWWWyjK37w4B7wSI4JPgGQ!2e0!5s20250301T000000!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D4.799427560360101%26panoid%3DSWWWyjK37w4B7wSI4JPgGQ%26yaw%3D62.54387690864827!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQwMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[freebrickproductions]

I wonder if that's designed to imitate an old wooden bridge it may have replaced?

[Dirt Roads]

I wonder if that's designed to imitate an old wooden bridge it may have replaced?

It's actually designed such that the bottom of the bridge stringers remain above the clearance envelope of the railroad below.  It certainly doesn't look like it meets the modern-day standard of 22'6" clearance.  But to answer your question, this looks like a typical location for a railroad-constructed overpass which would have likely been a wooden structure.  As long as the local Highway Agency (perhaps SCDOT) stayed above the original clearance envelope when they reconstructed this bridge, the railroad would not have grounds (literally and figuratively) to get the clearance raised (most likely wanting 21'6", which was commonplace for a long time).

[wriddle082]

Ground has just broken today for the new I-95 Lake Marion bridge.  Expected to be completed in 2030.

https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/lake-marion-i95-bridge-replacement-work/article_aa626c24-612d-4951-8e4e-9d92f034ebdb.html?fbclid=IwZnRzaARBNy1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEepN0AId6o4xOoZeT8-FfHLQlIbi_1ynWvrfCdhBcAyZb82f2lIpIJWv_Q1-Q_aem_I_jqzIwKiJ5MpZodaS1L4Q&utm_campaign=mrf-facebook-ThePostandCourier&mrfcid=2026040669d0fd43c57ab7078cf9280d

[PColumbus73]

I wonder if that's designed to imitate an old wooden bridge it may have replaced?

It's actually designed such that the bottom of the bridge stringers remain above the clearance envelope of the railroad below.  It certainly doesn't look like it meets the modern-day standard of 22'6" clearance.  But to answer your question, this looks like a typical location for a railroad-constructed overpass which would have likely been a wooden structure.  As long as the local Highway Agency (perhaps SCDOT) stayed above the original clearance envelope when they reconstructed this bridge, the railroad would not have grounds (literally and figuratively) to get the clearance raised (most likely wanting 21'6", which was commonplace for a long time).

According to the bridge stamps, it was built in 1967