The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) advises motorists of repair work requiring a lane closure along a portion of Interstate 95 northbound at Santee.
Southbound I-95 will not be affected.
The work on the northbound portion involves repairs to the I-95 bridge deck over Lake Marion at the Clarendon-Orangeburg County line. Repairs are required to the concrete span built in the late 1960s.
A routine inspection by SCDOT bridge inspectors showed concrete deteriorating on the bridge deck. While the bridge is safe for travel, the condition warrants repairs before it worsens.
Work is scheduled to begin in early morning hours of Sept. 12, with anticipated completion on Nov. 16. Carolina Bridge Company Inc., of Orangeburg, is the contractor.
Along the two-mile northbound interstate portion beginning at mile marker 98, Santee exit, northbound traffic will be reduced from two lanes to one lane 24 hours per day and speeds will be reduced to 45 mph.
Northbound motorists are advised to expect congestion, heavy at times, especially during peak travel times such as Fridays through Sunday evenings.
Due to the limited access across Lake Marion, there are no convenient alternate routes. Motorists may consider using I-26 West to Columbia, I-77 North to I-20 East to I-95 at Florence.
No oversized/overweight loads will be allowed to travel through the work zone, which will have concrete barrier walls in place. The open lane will have a restriction of loads exceeding 8½ feet in width.
A detour for loads exceeding 8½ feet in width has been established from I-95 Exit 86A onto I-26 East to US 78 exit 205B to US 52 to SC 375 to US 521 & I-95 near Manning. This route will be marked with signs.
Motorists will be able to get traffic updates during the repair work by calling SCDOT’s 511 Traveler Information System. Users can call 511 or access online at www.511SC.org.
SCDOT is also informing motorists by placing electronic message boards in advance of the location; using highway advisory radio messages; and providing information to welcome centers, ports and trucking companies.
The public may also use various web sites to check congestion levels at the location. These include the “I-95 Corridor Travel Time Information” link at SCDOT’s website. This link illustrates current traffic conditions such as green for free flow and red for heavy conditions. From SCDOT’s home page, users can reach the link by clicking on “Getting Around in South Carolina” and under “Travel Advisories” will find “I-95 Corridor Travel Time Information.” The direct link is www.i95travelinfo.net.
