South Carolina

[1995hoo]

Pooing on US 17 is cool.

Never been there, but one obvious alternate jumps out if you don't want to risk the Myrtle Beach sprawl: US 701 to Conway, then SC 90-Wampee Road-Hickman Road.

Yeah, I'm not so concerned about that area because of the new bypass to the west (SC-31, the "Carolina Bays Parkway")–checked it out on Street View and it looks like a good road. While you do still have to deal with Murrells Inlet, that's better than the crawl all the way down the Grand Strand. This "parkway" didn't exist when we used to make our annual end-of-the-spring-semester trip to North Myrtle Beach.

What I was thinking of was that since I have not been on I-795 since it received that designation, I had in mind to take I-95 (I-295 around Richmond/Petersburg) to the vicinity of Wilson, NC, then take I-795 to its end and then continue down US-117 to I-40. I-40 down to Wilmington (a road I've driven previously, but that's life) and then US-17 and that new bypass on down to Charleston. As much as I'd like to cross off all of US-17 through North Carolina, it'd take more time than I have available for this particular trip (not to mention the nuisance of getting over to Edenton, the northern end of my unclinched North Carolina segment).

Hence why I was curious about the South Carolina portion–it appears it wouldn't add terribly much time compared to taking the conventional I-95/I-26 route, but unless you have all day to click through Street View, Google Maps isn't informative about stuff like small town traffic lights and such.

[monty]

I've driven US 17 from Wilmington NC to Charleston SC recently.  The new 31 bypass around Myrtle Beach is a breeze.  You will run into some congestion and stoplights around Cherry Grove and again between the south end of Myrtle Beach to Georgetown.  They're doing some new construction on the south end as well - installing some interchanges on US 17 south of the airport.  It's a fun drive and you shouldn't have much beach traffic this time of the year.  You may want to check out a map to see how you want to go from 31 back to US 17.  There's a few options.  And the new bridges at Charleston are impressive. 

[Mapmikey]

You can bypass the Cherry Grove area entirely by using Hickman Rd (US 17 takes a big bend leftward a couple miles before the SC line and Hickman Rd continues on the straight line) to SC 9 then turn left and SC 31 is right there.

Murrells Inlet/Pawleys Island is not terrible during non-summer months and Georgetown is not bad either.  Charleston suburbia now starts a couple miles northeast of SC 41.  The good news if you are interested in using US 17 over the Cooper River is that the Mt. Pleasant Bypass rehab is done and not as clogged as it was during its construction period.

Mapmikey

[1995hoo]

Thanks, I see Hickman on the map. Since I've previously travelled that part of US-17 on a drive from Myrtle Beach to Nags Head when I was in college, I may try that.

[Gnutella]

Are there any plans to six-lane I-85 south of Anderson or north of Spartanburg? I'd say north of Spartanburg needs it more, both both still need it a lot. In fact, I-85 should be at least six lanes from La Grange, GA to Durham, NC.

[Thing 342]

Are there any plans to six-lane I-85 south of Anderson or north of Spartanburg? I'd say north of Spartanburg needs it more, both both still need it a lot. In fact, I-85 should be at least six lanes from La Grange, GA to Durham, NC.

Were I-85 to be expanded north of Spartanburg, it'd take a good amount of reconstruction, as the road is fairly substandard.

[WashuOtaku]

Are there any plans to six-lane I-85 south of Anderson or north of Spartanburg? I'd say north of Spartanburg needs it more, both both still need it a lot. In fact, I-85 should be at least six lanes from La Grange, GA to Durham, NC.

Last time I visited SCDOT's website regarding future plans, I didn't see anything regarding widening I-85; they were more concern about I-26 and the urban centers of the state.  The state, in general, is very draconian about spending money for roads; stems on the low gas tax we all enjoy when visiting the state.

[Grzrd]

Last time I visited SCDOT's website regarding future plans, I didn't see anything regarding widening I-85; they were more concern about I-26 and the urban centers of the state.  The state, in general, is very draconian about spending money for roads; stems on the low gas tax we all enjoy when visiting the state.

SCDOT recently posted its August 2014 Interstate Plan, which is a component of the Draft 2040 Multimodal Transportation Plan.  The Plan identifies the eight most congested segments of I-85 in South Carolina (page 23/116 of pdf; page 20 of document):



This September 28 article reports that South Carolina is facing a $1.5 billion annual shortfall to meet its transportation needs through 2040, that the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce supports a gasoline tax increase, and that a bipartisan group of lawmakers is making increased funding for roads a priority:

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is projecting that by the year 2040, South Carolina will need to spend another $70 billion on transportation needs – $60 billion of that on roads.
But the state's 2040 Multimodal Transportation Plan finds that, based on current revenue projections of only $28 billion during the period, the state will be about $1.5 billion short each year of meeting its highway needs ....
the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce said it will support increasing the state gasoline tax to get more money for roads. And a bipartisan group of lawmakers looking at the issue has said more money for roads will be a priority next session.
Money for maintaining and building roads is needed with South Carolina's population of 4.7 million expected to increase to more than 6 million by 2040.

[Gnutella]

Are there any plans to six-lane I-85 south of Anderson or north of Spartanburg? I'd say north of Spartanburg needs it more, both both still need it a lot. In fact, I-85 should be at least six lanes from La Grange, GA to Durham, NC.

Were I-85 to be expanded north of Spartanburg, it'd take a good amount of reconstruction, as the road is fairly substandard.

How exactly is it substandard? And is the segment south of Anderson substandard as well? I have noticed when I've driven the four-lane segments of I-85 in South Carolina, the highway undulates more; the shoulders seem a bit narrow, and there seems to be a lot of lateral sloping on each lane.

Last time I visited SCDOT's website regarding future plans, I didn't see anything regarding widening I-85; they were more concern about I-26 and the urban centers of the state.  The state, in general, is very draconian about spending money for roads; stems on the low gas tax we all enjoy when visiting the state.

SCDOT recently posted its August 2014 Interstate Plan, which is a component of the Draft 2040 Multimodal Transportation Plan.  The Plan identifies the eight most congested segments of I-85 in South Carolina (page 23/116 of pdf; page 20 of document):



This September 28 article reports that South Carolina is facing a $1.5 billion annual shortfall to meet its transportation needs through 2040, that the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce supports a gasoline tax increase, and that a bipartisan group of lawmakers is making increased funding for roads a priority:

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is projecting that by the year 2040, South Carolina will need to spend another $70 billion on transportation needs – $60 billion of that on roads.
But the state's 2040 Multimodal Transportation Plan finds that, based on current revenue projections of only $28 billion during the period, the state will be about $1.5 billion short each year of meeting its highway needs ....
the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce said it will support increasing the state gasoline tax to get more money for roads. And a bipartisan group of lawmakers looking at the issue has said more money for roads will be a priority next session.
Money for maintaining and building roads is needed with South Carolina's population of 4.7 million expected to increase to more than 6 million by 2040.

If the Chamber of Commerce supports a tax increase, then I imagine a lot of people do, because your typical Chamber of Commerce doesn't tend to support tax increases. I also get the sense that bipartisan political support is possible because of how unusual the scenario is.

[Mapmikey]

How exactly is it substandard? And is the segment south of Anderson substandard as well? I have noticed when I've driven the four-lane segments of I-85 in South Carolina, the highway undulates more; the shoulders seem a bit narrow, and there seems to be a lot of lateral sloping on each lane.

It is way better than it was 15 years ago.  It used to be just like I-85 Business north all the way to North Carolina...all the bridges over water were these narrow bridges from the mid-1950s like the one remaining on I-85 bus over Lawson Fork Creek: http://goo.gl/maps/GKJca

It was actually pretty dangerous when I used to regularly drive I-85 from SC 86 to North Carolina from 1987-90.  However, they have replaced all the old bridges and gotten rid of some of the superfluous on/off ramps to frontage roads. 

Anderson to Spartanburg was greatly improved with the added lane as I-85 was frequently traffic clogged.

Mapmikey

[WashuOtaku]

If the Chamber of Commerce supports a tax increase, then I imagine a lot of people do, because your typical Chamber of Commerce doesn't tend to support tax increases. I also get the sense that bipartisan political support is possible because of how unusual the scenario is.

Well, it seems that there is bipartisan support in the legislator, but the Governor also announced she has a plan to improve state infrastructure.  However, she doesn't want to present it till after the election, which ruffles her own party in the legislator causing continued inaction.  So yea, everyone sees the need, but their are playing the cards close to their chest; the question is, are they simply bluffing because of the elections.

[Tom958]

How exactly is it substandard? And is the segment south of Anderson substandard as well? I have noticed when I've driven the four-lane segments of I-85 in South Carolina, the highway undulates more; the shoulders seem a bit narrow, and there seems to be a lot of lateral sloping on each lane.

It is way better than it was 15 years ago.  It used to be just like I-85 Business north all the way to North Carolina...all the bridges over water were these narrow bridges from the mid-1950s like the one remaining on I-85 bus over Lawson Fork Creek: http://goo.gl/maps/GKJca

It was actually pretty dangerous when I used to regularly drive I-85 from SC 86 to North Carolina from 1987-90.  However, they have replaced all the old bridges and gotten rid of some of the superfluous on/off ramps to frontage roads. 

Anderson to Spartanburg was greatly improved with the added lane as I-85 was frequently traffic clogged.

Mapmikey

Not to mention the low clearances of many of the bridges over I-85, quite a few of which bear nasty scars from vehicle strikes. I'm hugely disappointed with myself for still not having a photo of the one labeled "Clearance 14' 6" with a big chunk knocked out of it.  Apparently not everyone has gotten the word on what the minimum clearance on Interstate highways is supposed to be.

The last I-85 project, between US 76 and US 29 at Anderson, involved not just widening but complete replacement of the pavement (asphalt northbound, concrete southbound!). The old bridges were retained, though, at the expense of full-width shoulders. I suspect that the original idea for I-85 north of Spartanburg was to widen it while retaining the original paving, but then it was realized that replacement of the paving would be advisable. I'm glad they widened the bridges over most of the watercourses as Mapmikey mentioned, but it really looks like they ran out of money long before finishing what they'd started.

At least they put cable rails in the 36 foot median. They almost certainly saved my daughter's life. Have I posted about that?

To me, the difference in I-85 between NC and SC is striking. The part in SC looks to be years into the period of neglect that sensibly precedes a major upgrade, while the part in NC presents a much more finished appearance.

[PColumbus73]

Here are some projects I'd like to see in SC:

- Rebuild the I-20/26 interchange

- Widen I-85 to six lanes in South Carolina

- Widen I-26 to six lanes from Exit 101 in Columbia to I-385

- Widen I-95 to six lanes from the GA State Line to US 17 (Exit 33)

[Zzonkmiles]

Here are some projects I'd like to see in SC:

- Rebuild the I-20/26 interchange

I have NO idea how this can be done. It really is an awful interchange. It doesn't help that you have the Bush River, Broad River, and St. Andrews Road exits immediately after the gaining interstate traffic merges onto the mainline.

[PColumbus73]

I think in order to make any serious improvements to I-20/26, the surrounding interchanges would have to change. Personally, I would remove all the enterance/exit ramps that go towards the 20/26 interchange. I think that would cut down on some of the weaving. Local traffic that would normally use those exits would have to use the surrounding side streets, but I don't think it would add too much time to a commute.

[Alex]

Drove through the recently widened section of Interstate 20 east of Columbia. Two things of note: new guide signs still use Highway Gothic, the speed limits remain at 55 miles per hour.

Also widening of Interstate 26 south from Interstate 77 is underway.

I-26 Widening & Rehabilitation Project

Interstate 26 will be widened from four to six lanes beginning just east of the I-77 interchange (MP115) and ending just east Old Sandy Run Road (MP 125.5). The interstate will be rehabilitated between Old Sandy Run Road (MP 125.5) and SC 6 (Caw Caw Road) (MP 136). The completed project will improve safety and increase capacity for the estimated 59,000 vehicles per day that use this segment of interstate.

Project Schedule
Construction began on November 17, 2013 and is estimated to be completed in July 2015.

[Tom958]

The most interesting thing I saw on my 2012 deployment to SC.

[74/171FAN]

Drove through the recently widened section of Interstate 20 east of Columbia. Two things of note: new guide signs still use Highway Gothic, the speed limits remain at 55 miles per hour.

Also widening of Interstate 26 south from Interstate 77 is underway.

I-26 Widening & Rehabilitation Project

Interstate 26 will be widened from four to six lanes beginning just east of the I-77 interchange (MP115) and ending just east Old Sandy Run Road (MP 125.5). The interstate will be rehabilitated between Old Sandy Run Road (MP 125.5) and SC 6 (Caw Caw Road) (MP 136). The completed project will improve safety and increase capacity for the estimated 59,000 vehicles per day that use this segment of interstate.

Project Schedule
Construction began on November 17, 2013 and is estimated to be completed in July 2015.

I only used that portion of I-26 on the way to Charleston from Blacksburg in 2012 (on a Saturday) and traffic seemed to be heavy similar to I-81 around there.  I guess the eventual plan is to widen it to I-95.

[mjb2002]

Some of the projects I'd love to see — all of them in Aiken County:

I would love to see WILLISTON RD (US 278) between Beech Island and where Savannah River Site's land begin get widened to four lanes.

I would love to see the right reverse curve along CHARLESTON HY (US 78) in Windsor removed and made into a more straight segment, much like how HERITAGE HY (US 78 in Bamberg County) was done in regards to a left reverse curve about a decade ago.

Speed limit on ATOMIC RD (S.C. 125) increased to 60 mph along its trunk segment between the Town of Jackson and the US 278 interchange.

An Interstate 20-Secondary Road 779 (S-2-779/RAINBOW FALLS RD) interchange created.

[PColumbus73]

Has anyone else seen the KEEP MOVING CHANGE LANES LATER sign? There are a couple here in Myrtle Beach, one at SC 544 near SC 31 and the light coming from the swing bridge and another at US 17 where SC 90 ends in Little River.

http://www.scdot.org/doing/technicalPDFs/mutcdSupp/supplement_mutcd.pdf (Page 23)

Also, I have some pictures of the new Back Gate Interchange (US 17 and SC 707/Farrow Pkwy) I'll upload them soon.

[Mapmikey]

At the end of the ramp from I-26 EB at SC 7 SB there has been one of those signs there back to the early 80s, possibly longer...

Mapmikey

[mvak36]

Has anyone else seen the KEEP MOVING CHANGE LANES LATER sign? There are a couple here in Myrtle Beach, one at SC 544 near SC 31 and the light coming from the swing bridge and another at US 17 where SC 90 ends in Little River.

http://www.scdot.org/doing/technicalPDFs/mutcdSupp/supplement_mutcd.pdf (Page 23)

Also, I have some pictures of the new Back Gate Interchange (US 17 and SC 707/Farrow Pkwy) I'll upload them soon.

We have something similar in Overland Park, KS (not on an interstate though).
https://goo.gl/maps/7kUhw

[PColumbus73]

Here are the pictures I took of the Back Gate Interchange in Myrtle Beach in October.

[WashuOtaku]

Has anyone else seen the KEEP MOVING CHANGE LANES LATER sign? There are a couple here in Myrtle Beach, one at SC 544 near SC 31 and the light coming from the swing bridge and another at US 17 where SC 90 ends in Little River.

Those signs are scattered throughout South Carolina, usually where finder-benders occur often.  Here is one at Celanese Road (SC 161).  Similar signs are also found in North Carolina, but are yellow and show a diagram.

[Zzonkmiles]

Has anyone else seen the KEEP MOVING CHANGE LANES LATER sign?

There are several of these signs in Columbia, typically at interstate off ramps that receive a lot of traffic. I've seen them when exiting I-26 west to Harbison Blvd. (Exit 101) and when exiting I-77 north to Killian Road (Exit 22). I think the signs are very useful because traffic would back up real quick otherwise.