Interstate 20 East - Columbia

Construction from 2016 to September 22, 2020 late 2021 widened I-20 along the south side of Lexington to six lanes from just ahead of Exit 51 east to Exit 61.

05/24/19

West Columbia, located along U.S. 1 and U.S. 378 east of Interstate 20, is ten miles away. Columbia is just two miles further via I-26 and I-126/U.S. 76.

09/20/21

U.S. 1 returns to Interstate 20 at Exit 58 from Main Street and Augusta Road in Lexington. 2016-21 construction along I-20 included replacing the bridges over the Norfolk Southern Railroad near milepost 57.

09/20/21

U.S. 1 (Augusta Road) runs through a commercial strip between Lexington and West Columbia east from the parclo A2 interchange (Exit 58) with I-20. U.S. 1 meets I-20 again at Exit 74.

09/20/21

Beyond Exit 58, Interstate 20 turns more northerly to bypass Columbia from eastern reaches of Lexington.

05/24/19

U.S. 378 (Sunset Boulevard) leaves an overlap with U.S. 1 through Lexington east to a six-ramp parclo interchange (Exit 61) with Interstate 20 in three miles.

09/20/21

U.S. 378 (Sunset Boulevard) continues 2.2 miles east from I-20 to a single point urban interchange (SPUI) with Interstate 26 at West Columbia. U.S. 378 travels 234 miles overall between Washington, Georgia and Conway.

09/20/21

Prior to 2021, I-20 expanded to six lanes at Exit 61. Sunset Boulevard constitutes a busy arterial in both directions of the freeway. U.S. 378 combines with U.S. 1 across the Gervais Street Bridge into Downtown Columbia.

09/20/21

Speed limits drop from 70 to 60 miles per hour one mile west of Exit 61. The lower limits remain in effect throughout the Columbia area.

05/24/19

Bush River Road (Road 273) branches west from U.S. 176 (Broad River Road) at St. Andrews to a parclo interchange (Exit 63) with I-20. Phase 3 of the Carolina Crossroads project, estimated to run from late 2023 to Fall 2028, will replace this exchange with a DDI.

09/20/21

Interstate 20 spans the Saluda River just ahead of Exit 63. Including the reconstruction of I-20 from U.S. 378 to the Broad River, the Carolina Crossroads Project commences in Spring 2022 and extends to substantial completion in 2029.

05/24/19

Exit 63 departs I-20 for Bush River Road, 0.75 miles from Interstate 26. Bush River Road (Road 273) heads northwest from the commercialized exchange with I-20 to St. Andrews Road.

09/20/21

Interstate 26 joins the Columbia metropolitan area with Charleston to the southeast. Since I-26 has yet to formally enter Columbia, the capital city remains the eastbound control city at Exit 64A.

09/20/21

One half mile west of the cloverleaf interchange (Exit 64) with Interstate 26 by the Woodland Hills community on I-20 east. Eliminating weaving traffic patterns, Phase 3 of the Carolina Crossroads project rebuilds Exit 64 into a turbine interchange.

09/20/21

The entrance ramp from Bush River Road adds a fourth lane to Exit 64A for Interstate 26 east to Downtown Columbia.

09/20/21

Passing west of Columbia, Interstate 26 eastbound runs through West Columbia, Springdale and Cayce to I-77 (Southeastern Beltway).

09/20/21

Part of what locals refer to as Malfunction Junction, I-26 splits with I-126/U.S. 76 east to Downtown just south of Exit 64A. Unfunded work to add c/d roadways along I-26 between I-20 and I-126 was previously proposed in 1988. Phase 1 of the Carolina Crossroads project redesigns the exchange at I-26/126 by remove weaving traffic.

09/20/21

Interstate 20 east crosses the Richland County line at the I-26/U.S. 76 overpass.

05/24/19

Exit 64B loops onto Interstate 26 to northwest Columbia, Irmo, Greenville (via I-385) and Spartanburg. I-26 measures 349 miles overall between U.S. 17 at Charleston and U.S. 23 at Kingsport, Tennessee.

09/20/21

Interstate 20 continues east from I-26 through St. Andrews and next meets U.S. 176 (Broad River Road) at a diamond interchange (Exit 65). U.S. 176 is one of six US highways serving Columbia, with all leading toward the central business district.

09/20/21

Exit 65 leaves the six lane freeway for U.S. 176. U.S. 176 follows Broad River Road northwest from River Drive and U.S. 21/321 (Main Street) in Columbia to Irmo.

09/20/20

Lowering toward the Broad River, Interstate 20 briefly enters the Columbia city limits.

05/24/19

Florence appears for the first time on I-20 distance signs at 79 miles out.

05/24/19

One of two tributaries feeding the Congaree River through Columbia, the Broad River flows 150 miles south from Black Mountain in North Carolina.

05/24/19

S.C. 215 (Monticello Road) meets Interstate 20 at a diamond interchange (Exit 68) in one mile.

05/24/19

Part of a nearly 95 mile long highway between Columbia and Spartanburg, S.C. 215 (Monticello Road) leads north 21.4 miles to Jenkinsville near Monticello Reservoir in Fairfield County. Southward the arterial route concludes in 1.70 miles at U.S. 21/321 (Main Street) at the Eau Claire community in Columbia.

09/20/21

U.S. 321 splits with U.S. 21 (Main Street) for Fairfield Road and a northern course 1.35 miles to Interstate 20 at Exit 70.

09/20/21

Interstate 20 curves around the northern periphery of Columbia alongside an industrial area along both Buckner and Windhill Roads.

09/20/21

A parclo B2 cloverleaf interchange (Exit 70) joins I-20 and U.S. 321 (Fairfield Road) at Belmont on the north side of Columbia. U.S. 321 connects the capital city with the Fairfield County seat of Winnsboro, 23 miles to the north.

05/24/19

Missing by 2018, this confirming marker for Interstate 20 was posted in north Columbia after Exit 70.

12/20/13

U.S. 21 remains along Main Street to a parclo B2 interchange (Exit 71) with Interstate 20 in northeast Columbia.

05/24/19

Exit 71 loops away from I-20 to U.S. 21 (Main Street). U.S. 21 (Wilson Boulevard) heads north from the freeway en route to I-77 at Exit 24 and the community of Blythewood. Southward, U.S. 21 combines with U.S. 321 and U.S. 176 to U.S. 76 outside Downtown Columbia.

05/24/19

Paralleling the freeway along S.C. 277, S.C. 555 (Farrow Road) meanders northeast from Harden Street in Columbia to a folded diamond interchange (Exit 72) with I-20. Points of interest for Exit 72 include Allen University, Benedict College and Midlands Technical College.

05/24/19

S.C. 555 (Farrow Road) continues north to I-77 at Exit 19 and Killian while concluding a 14.90 mile long course at U.S. 21 in Blythewood. S.C. 277 ends at I-77 adjacent to Farrow Road, providing the northbound connection to Rock Hill and Charlotte.

09/20/21

Built in the 1970s, S.C. 277 constitutes a commuter freeway between the northeastern suburbs and Downtown Columbia. S.C. 277 south defaults onto Bull Street north of U.S. 76 (Elmwood Avenue). It was originally planned to continue further south to Elmwood Avenue at Wayne Street by the east end of I-126.

09/20/21

Exit 73B loops onto S.C. 277 north ahead of Parklane Road and Interstate 77 north at S.C. 555 (Farrow Road). Historically Temporary I-77 followed I-26 north to I-20 east and S.C. 277 north.

05/24/19

U.S. 1 (Two Notch Road) follows an aging commercial boulevard northeast from Forest Acres and Arcadia Lakes to a folded diamond interchange (Exit 74) with Interstate 20.

05/24/19

North from Exit 74, U.S. 1 meets Interstate 77 en route to Pontiac and Elgin. The cloverstack interchange (Exit 76) with I-77 follows on I-20 east.

05/24/19

Referred to locally almost exclusively as Two Notch Road, U.S. 1 heads southwest to Dentsville while northbound parallels I-20 to northward to the Kershaw County seat of Camden.

12/20/13

Trenholm Road (Road 33) winds northeast from Dentsville to span both I-20 and I-77. An eastbound shield for I-20 stands ahead of the overpass for Road 33.

05/24/19

Exit 76 separates onto a collector distributor roadway for Interstate 77 south and the adjacent diamond interchange with Alpine Road.

05/24/19

Alpine Road connects S.C. 12 (Percival Road) along the north boundary of Fort Jackson with U.S. 1 (Two Notch Road) near I-77. Fort Jackson traffic is directed onto I-77 south to Exit 12 or 10.

05/24/19

Exit 76 partitions from I-20 east for Interstate 77 and Alpine Road. I-77 runs 91 miles north from I-26 at Caycee to the North Carolina line at Charlotte. Overall I-77 extends 610 miles to Cleveland, Ohio.

05/24/19

Exit 76 links I-20 east with I-77 south directly. A Breezewood connection for I-77 north utilizes the entrance ramp from Alpine Road.

12/20/13

Constructed started on October 1, 2012 expanded I-20 to six lanes from I-77 to a point east of Exit 82 at Spears Creek Church Road. The new eastbound lanes for I-20 opened on June 27, 2014 with westbound on the following day.¹

05/24/19

Ramps from Interstate 77 join the c/d roadway ahead of the off-ramp to Alpine Road (Road 73). Development flanks areas near the exchange, with Polo Road lining the north side of I-20 from Alpine Road to Mallet Hill Road.

04/14/12

09/20/21

Alpine Road (Road 63) heads 0.56 miles south to S.C. 12 (Percival Road) and 1.85 miles north to U.S. 1 (Two Notch Road).

04/14/12

Interstate 20 advances east from Alpine Road alongside Polo Road and Sesquicentennial State Park.

05/24/19

Interstate 20 enters the outer fringes of the Columbia city limits by the Smallwood Road overpass. Camden lies 22 miles to the east, followed by Florence in 68 miles.

05/24/19

Clemson Road (Road 52) stems north from S.C. 12 (Percival Road) to a diamond interchange (Exit 80) with I-20. The exchange with an extension of Clemson Road and I-20 opened in 1987 as the first step in a long term plan to construct a belt line road through the Northeast suburbs of Richland County. Clemson and Killian Roads form a loop between I-20 and I-77 (Exit 22).²

05/24/19

Clemson Road curves around the Woodlands Golf and Country Club community to meet U.S. 1 (Two Notch Road) in 2.87 miles at a folded diamond interchange by the Village at Sandhill retail complex.

05/24/19