BLYTHEWOOD (June 29, 2016) – If you haven’t noticed by now, then you probably haven’t been behind the wheel of your automobile for the last week or so. In case you’ve missed it, the S.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) got under way on June 20 with a massive two-year project to widen and repair I-77 in Northeast Richland County.
During construction, the DOT said, Northbound and Southbound I-77 will be widened to add an additional travel lane in each direction beginning between SC 12 (Percival Road) and ending at the Killian Road Interchange. The additional lanes will be constructed within the existing interstate median.
The project also includes the rehabilitation of the existing I-77 Southbound pavement from Blythewood Road to just north of Killian Road, the DOT said. This work will consist of repairing and then overlaying the concrete pavement with a new asphalt pavement. The majority of work in this area will be performed under nightly lane closures to minimize traffic impacts; although Tuesday morning, traffic in the work zone was down to a single lane. Drivers traveling through the construction zone are asked to be aware of equipment and crews working adjacent to traffic at all times.
According to the DOT, all of the I-77 bridges within this area will also be widened toward the median to support the new lanes, including I-77 northbound/southbound bridges over I-20 mainline, I-77 northbound/southbound bridges over I-20 westbound ramp to I-77 southbound, I-77 northbound/southbound bridges over Windsor Lake Boulevard, I-77 northbound/ southbound bridges over Windsor Lake and Jackson Creek and I-77 northbound/southbound bridges over Edgewater Drive and Little Jackson Creek.
The $88 million design-build contract was awarded to Archer Western, A Member of the Walsh Group, which has proposed an aggressive work schedule. Construction is estimated to be substantially complete in July 2018.
Updates on travel information will be available at www.511sc.org.
