Interstate 95 North - Hardeeville to Ridgeland

Crossing the Savannah River, Interstate 95 enters Jasper County, South Carolina.

03/12/26

A swing bridge along the CSX Railroad line parallels I-95 across the Savannah River to the east.

12/21/18

A number of palmetto trees accompany decorative walls to formally welcome travelers to South Carolina along Interstate 95 north. This setup is uncommon along the Interstate system.

03/12/26

Two sets of bridges cross flood relief channels through the marshy areas east of the Savannah River. These spans were built by 1976.

07/10/24

A welcome center and rest area precede the first exit on I-95 north in South Carolina. Free official state highway maps and tourist information is available at the facility.

11/19/21

A northbound side weigh station facility was shuttered by 2013.

11/19/21

The Palmetto State welcome center is open daily between 9 pm and 5 am.

11/19/21

I-95 enters Jasper County through northern reaches of Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is directly accessible via Exit 5 onto U.S. 17 south. The Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge on Port Royal Sound lies 22 miles to the east via Exit 8 and U.S. 278.

11/19/21

The city of Hardeeville lies at the crossroads of U.S. 17, S.C. 46, and the south end of U.S. 321. U.S. 321 does not meet I-95 directly, but rather branches north from U.S. 17, 0.83 miles to the north. U.S. 321 ventures 19.72 miles north to U.S. 601's south end near Tarboro and beyond there 36 miles to Estill in Hampton County.

03/12/26

Northbound I-95 at the tourist information center and rest area at Hardeeville.

03/12/26

A parclo B2 interchange joins I-95 with U.S. 17 (Coastal Highway) between a large array of services in Hardeeville. U.S. 17 provides a route into Savannah through marshland north of the Savannah River. Connections with S.C. 170 and S.C. 46 lead east to U.S. 278, west of Hilton Head Island. U.S. 17 north parallels I-95 closely to Ridgeland.

03/12/26

Interstate 95 spans S.C. 46 (Main Street) after this reassurance marker. S.C. 46 concludes at U.S. 321, just north of its split with U.S. 17 nearby.

12/21/18

I-95 remain within the Hardeeville city limits another seven miles north to Bagshaw Swamp. Florence, where I-20 ends, is 159 miles to the northeast.

03/12/26

John Smith Road passes over I-95 one mile south of a diamond interchange (Exit 8) with U.S. 278 (Independence Boulevard). U.S. 278 leads 33 miles to the east at the resort city of Hilton Head Island.

03/12/26

U.S. 278 east also leads to the Sun City community on Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, a coastal town along S.C. 46 on the May River.

03/12/26

U.S. 278 combines with parallel U.S. 17 just west of Exit 8. Providing a viable alternate route to I-95 due to traffic congestion and incidents, U.S. 17/278 overlap north from there 8.63 miles to Switzerland and 12.80 miles to Ridgeland.

03/12/26

U.S. 278 provides the first leg of a direct route from Interstate 95 to the Beaufort County seat of Beaufort via S.C. 170 and U.S. 21.

03/10/22

Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island is reached via S.C. 170 north from U.S. 278 to the town of Port Royal.

03/10/22

U.S. 278 was realigned west to adjacent U.S. 17 and east to S.C. 170 upon completion of the four lane highway in June 1996.

03/10/22

A forested median once separated the north and southbound roadways along I-95 beyond Exit 8. Vegetation removal completed in October 2018 cleared all trees from the freeway median between mile markers 0 and 23.19. Eight miles of cable barriers were installed as well (Kincaid, 2018).

12/21/18

The town of Ridgeland lies 12 miles ahead while Florence remains over two hours away. Historically Ridgeland has a reputation for rigid speed enforcement along its stretch of Interstate 95.

03/12/26

The ten mile exit less stretch between Hardeeville and Ridgeland is comprised of forest stands and swampland. Back-ups occur frequently along this stretch during holiday travel.

11/19/21

The set of rest areas along both sides of Interstate 95 at Switzerland were converted to truck only parking areas.

03/12/26

A trumpet interchange (Exit 18) links I-95 with Bees Creek Road (Road 13) in one mile. Exit 18 provides a direct connection to parallel U.S. 17/278 between Switzerland and Ridgeland.

03/12/26

The truck parking area lies just north of the Crow Field Road (Road 210) overpass. Seven former Interstate rest areas statewide were converted to truck only facilities in 2008.

03/12/26

Exit 18 departs Interstate 95 north for the connector to U.S. 17/278. Bees Creek Road (Road 13) ties into the exchange from the east, leading 2.90 miles north to S.C. 336 (Old House Road) at Grahamville east of the Ridgeland town center.

03/12/26

Interstate 95 bypasses the street grid of Ridgeland from Mitchellville north to the merge with U.S. 17 south of Ricetown.

08/14/21

Remaining wholly within the town limits of Ridgeland, Interstate 95 converges with U.S. 17 north in four miles. Florence remains 146 miles to the northeast.

03/12/26

The Juanita M. White Crosswalk spans Interstate 95 at Carolina Wren Drive.

08/14/21

Continuing through the Jasper County seat of Ridgeland, Interstate 95 next meets S.C. 336 (E Main Street) at Exit 21.

03/12/26

S.C. 336 travels 13.59 miles overall between U.S. 321 at Tillman and S.C. 462 east of Ridgeland.

03/12/26

S.C. 336 follows Main Street west 0.59 miles from the diamond interchange at Exit 21 to U.S. 17/321 (Jacob Smart Boulevard) at Downtown Ridgeland. U.S. 278 and U.S. 17 part ways two blocks north of S.C. 336 at 3rd Avenue.

08/14/21

S.C. 336 (Grahamville Road) east 5.14 miles to S.C. 462 (Lowcountry Drive) at Old House was part of U.S. 278 until 1996.

08/14/21

U.S. 17 (Jacob Smart Boulevard) continues 1.85 miles north from U.S. 278 (3rd Avenue) to the trumpet interchange at Exit 22 and the north side of Ridgeland.

03/12/26

Exit 22 loops onto U.S. 17 southbound for return access to Ridgeland. Two frontage roads accompany I-95/U.S. 17 northward. Road 426 along the east side connects with Rice Shire Road (Road 19) at Ricetown. Road 425 to the west is old U.S. 17 northeast to Coosawhatchie.

03/12/26

U.S. 17 and Interstate 95 overlap 9.89 miles north to Exit 33.

12/13/17

S.C. 462 meanders 9.67 miles north from Old House to the succeeding exit from I-95 north. Florence is a two hour drive away.

03/12/26

Vegetation clearing between mile marker 23.19 and 32.5 in 2018 removed or cut back trees within the freeway median (Kincaid, 2018).

11/19/21

A diamond interchange (Exit 28) joins S.C. 462 with I-95/U.S. 17. Just west of Exit 28 through Coosawhatchie, S.C. 462 overlays a four lane section of old U.S. 17.

11/19/21

S.C. 462 comprises a 35.92 mile long loop east from U.S. 321 at Robertville to Coosawhatchie and south to S.C. 170 just across the Beaufort County line.

03/12/26

Constructed between 1972 and 1974, Interstate 95 northeast from the Coosawhatchie River and the Tulfiny River was built directly over U.S. 17.

03/12/26

The bridge over the Coosawhatchie River was completed in 1974.

03/12/26

Four miles remain along the I-95 and U.S. 17 overlap to Pocotaligo. Interstate 95 and U.S. 17 do not meet again for 475 miles until Fredericksburg, Virginia.

03/12/26

I-95/U.S. 17 cross the Tullifinny River just south of the original four lane crossing on Old U.S. 17.

03/12/26

U.S. 17 splits with I-95 north for Charleston and the Atlantic coast by way of Sheldon, Jacksonboro and Rantowles. U.S. 17 combines with U.S. 21, 1.5 miles east of Exit 33 for 6.29 miles between Pocotaligo and Gardens Corner.

11/19/21

Old U.S. 17 (Frontage Road) ties into the trumpet interchange at Exit 33 from the west. U.S. 21 southeast from U.S. 17 heads to Burton, Beaufort, Port Royal and Hunting Island.

03/12/26

U.S. 17 traverses areas of marshland east to Jacksonboro and Charleston, serving small communities such as Parkers Ferry, Osborn and Ravenel along the way.

03/12/26

Interstate 95 shifts westward to bypass Yemassee over the next five miles. This shield was removed by 2021.

12/13/17

Spanning both Kress Road (Road 37) and the CSX Railroad, Interstate 95 northbound crosses the Hampton County line near mile marker 34.

11/19/21