Interstate 26 in South Carolina

Interstate 26
James F. Byrnes Memorial Freeway
Route information
Length	220.7 mi[1] (355.2 km)
Existed	1960–present
Major junctions
West end	I-26 at the North Carolina line near Landrum
Major intersections	I-85 near Spartanburg I-385 in Clinton I-20 near Columbia I-126 in Columbia I-77 in Cayce I-95 near Holly Hill I-526 in North Charleston
East end	US 17 in Charleston
Location
Counties	Spartanburg, Laurens, Newberry, Lexington, Richland, Calhoun, Orangeburg, Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future South Carolina State Highway System Interstate US State Scenic

Interstate 26 (I-26) is a South Carolina Interstate highway running generally east–west from near Landrum, in Spartanburg County, to U.S. Route 17 (US 17), in Charleston, South Carolina. It is also the longest Interstate Highway in South Carolina.

Route description[]

I-26 runs 221 miles (356 km) through South Carolina. Milemarkers run from west (north) to east (south). Milemarker 0 is in the mountains at the North Carolina state line. The last exit, at US 17 south of Charleston, is exit 221.

I-26 runs between the Broad and Saluda Rivers, descending from the mountains to the piedmont or midlands. At Columbia, I-126 crosses the confluence of the Broad and Saluda, which together form the Congaree, near the Columbia Canal and water treatment plant. I-26 continues following the Congaree until it hops south over into the Cooper and Ashley Drainage, then down to the coast.

I-26 is predominantly a four-lane rural Interstate with 70-mile-per-hour (110 km/h) speed limits. In the Columbia and Charleston areas, the Interstate widens to six lanes, but speeds are lower.

I-26 enters South Carolina just northeast of Landrum, traveling a southeasterly direction. The first major city along its route is Spartanburg, where it intersects I-85 to Greenville and Charlotte. As the Interstate weaves along the terrain, it reaches Clinton; where westbound travelers can connect with I-385 toward Greenville. Traveling through the Sumter National Forest, it connects with Newberry before entering the Midlands. At Columbia in a section known as "Malfunction Junction", it connects with I-20 to Augusta and Florence and I-126 toward the downtown area; it then goes south over the Saluda River and into Lexington County for the second of eventually four times along its course. At Cayce, it connects with I-77 to Charlotte. South of Cayce, the Interstate goes up and down a few very long hills before reaching the outskirts of Orangeburg and I-95 to Savannah and Florence. As it enters the relatively flat plains of the Lowcountry, the area becomes urbanized as the Interstate encroaches upon North Charleston and Charleston. As the Interstate curves through the peninsula formed by the Ashley and Cooper rivers, it connects with I-526 to Savannah and Mount Pleasant. Near the end, it overlaps with US 17 from its new interchange (from the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge) to where the old interchange remnants and where I-26 ends (formally where the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge and Silas N. Pearman Bridge connected).

Services[]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) operates and maintains one welcome center and seven rest areas along I-26. Welcome centers, which have a travel information facility on site, are located at milemarker 3 (eastbound); rest areas are located at milemarkers 63 (east and westbound), 123 (east and westbound), 150 (eastbound), 152 (westbound), and 204 (eastbound).^[2] Common at all locations are public restrooms, public telephones, vending machines, picnic area, and barbecue grills.^[3]

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) and State Transport Police (STP) operates and maintains three truck inspection/weigh stations. A westbound weigh station can be found at milemarker 93.5 in Chapin 17 miles (27 km) west of Columbia, and two others at milemarker 173 (eastbound) and milemarker 174 (westbound) in Harleyville east of the interchanges with I-95 and US 15.^[4][5]

History[]

East I-26 in South Carolina at milemarker 79, just south of Newberry

Construction of I-26 began in 1957 in the Columbia area with the nine-mile (14 km) section from the Broad River to near Irmo.^[6] The 11-mile (18 km) section of I-26 from I-126/US 76 in Columbia to US 176 at exit 97 was the first section of the highway to open up to traffic (on September 7, 1960). The six-mile (9.7 km) section from South Carolina Highway 210 (SC 210) to US 15 opened in September 1962.^[7] Construction proceeded in stages heading both west up toward Greenville and east toward Charleston. The highway was largely completed from Columbia to North Charleston by 1964; the section from Aviation Avenue to the highway's terminus at US 17 in downtown Charleston progressed more slowly due to land takings for the right-of-way and numerous bridges and viaducts that had to be built. The entire 221 miles (356 km) of I-26 were completed by February 1969.^[6]

In the 1980s–1990s, I-26 around Columbia was widened from four to six lanes. In the mid-1990s, the North Charleston area was also widened from four to six lanes, part of which was further widened to eight lanes in the early 2010s. In 2005, the US 17 was realigned to a new interchange with I-26 at exit 220 from exit 221; the old interchange was mostly torn down and reconfigured, leaving the I-26 viaduct eastbound offramp and westbound onramps with US 17 south. In the mid-2010s, I-26 was widened southeast of Columbia from I-77 to Old Sandy Run Road. Starting in 2019 or 2020, a long stretch of I-26 northwest of Columbia will begin widening construction from four to six lanes from SC 202 at Little Mountain to US 76/US 176 at Irmo.

In 2011, a plan to add a lane in each direction between Broad River Road and Saint Andrews Road through "Malfunction Junction" had $8.5 million (equivalent to $9.78 million in 2020) in funding but was expected to start sometime after 2012 and take two years.^[8]

On October 5, 2016, I-26 had all lanes converted to westbound only, from I-77 to I-526, due to Hurricane Matthew.^[9] This was done again on September 11, 2018, due to Hurricane Florence,^[10] and in September 2019 for Hurricane Dorian.^[11]

On November 19, 2016, construction began in Charleston to demolish, reconfigure, and replace exits 217 and 218, related to a new access road to the Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal; the interchange was opened on February 23, 2021.^[12][13]

On October 18, 2018, SCDOT approved widening I-26 between Columbia and Charleston. SCDOT plans to widen I-26 from Old Sandy Run Road in Calhoun County to Ridgeville Road (SC 27) in Berkeley County.^[14]

Future[]

I-20/I-126 interchange[]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is proposing improvements to the Interstate corridor of I-20/I-26/I-126, including the system interchanges at I-20/I-26 and I-26/I-126 in Lexington and Richland Counties. These improvements are proposed to increase mobility and enhance traffic operations by reducing existing traffic congestion within the I-20/I-26/I-126 corridor, while accommodating future traffic needs. The corridor's approximately 14 miles (23 km) of mainline Interstate include I-26 from exit 101 (Broad River Road/US 176) to east of the Saluda River, I-20 from the west of the Saluda River to west of the Broad River, and I-126 from I-26 to east of the interchange with Colonial Life Boulevard. ^[15]

Auxiliary routes[]

	Interstate	City	Type	Notes
	Interstate 126	Columbia	Spur
	Interstate 326	Columbia	Spur	Unsigned designation. Decommissioned (now Interstate 77)
	Interstate 526	Charleston	Spur

Exit list[]

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Spartanburg	​	0.0	0.0		I-26 west – Hendersonville, Asheville	Continuation into North Carolina
	Landrum	0.9	1.4	1	SC 14 east – Landrum
	​	5.3	8.5	5	SC 11 (Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway) – Campobello, Chesnee
	​	10.0	16.1	10	SC 292 – Inman
	​	14.0	22.5	15	US 176 – Inman, Spartanburg
	​	15.4	24.8	16	John Dodd Road – Wellford
	Southern Shops	16.7	26.9	17	New Cut Road
		17.8	28.6	18	I-85 – Greenville, Charlotte	Signed as exits 18A (south) and 18B (north)
		18.6	29.9	19	I-85 BL – Greenville, Spartanburg	Signed as exits 19A (south) and 19B (north)
	Spartanburg	21.0	33.8	21	US 29 – Greer, Spartanburg	Signed as exits 21A (south) and 21B (north); to Westgate Mall
		22.0	35.4	22	SC 296 (Reidville Road) – Spartanburg, Reidville
	Moore	28.1	45.2	28	US 221 – Spartanburg, Moore, Woodruff
	​	34.5	55.5	35	Walnut Grove Road – Woodruff
	​	38.0	61.2	38	SC 146 – Cross Anchor, Woodruff
	​	40.6	65.3	41	SC 92 – Enoree, Cross Anchor
	​	44.1	71.0	44	SC 49 – Laurens, Cross Anchor, Union
Laurens	Clinton	51.8	83.4	51	I-385 north – Laurens, Greenville	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		52.5	84.5	52	SC 56 – Clinton, Cross Anchor
		53.6	86.3	54	SC 72 – Clinton, Whitmire
	​	59.7	96.1	60	SC 66 (Whitmire Highway) – Joanna, Whitmire
Newberry	​	66.2	106.5	66	Road 32 – Jalapa
	​	71.5	115.1	72	SC 121 – Newberry, Whitmire
	Newberry	74.0	119.1	74	SC 34 – Newberry, Winnsboro
		76.0	122.3	76	SC 219 – Newberry, Pomaria
	​	82.2	132.3	82	SC 773 – Prosperity, Pomaria
	​	85.2	137.1	85	SC 202 – Pomaria, Little Mountain
Lexington	Chapin	91.2	146.8	91	Columbia Avenue – Chapin
Richland	​	96.5	155.3	97	US 176 – Ballentine, White Rock, Peak
	Irmo	101.4	163.2	101	US 76 west / US 176 (Broad River Road) – Ballentine, White Rock	West end of US 76 overlap; signed as exits 101A (west) and 101B (east)
		102.2	164.5	102	SC 60 (Lake Murray Boulevard) – Lake Murray, Irmo	Signed as exits 102A (west) and 102B (east)
	Columbia	103.4	166.4	103	Harbison Boulevard	To Columbiana Centre
Lexington	Seven Oaks	104.3	167.9	104	Piney Grove Road
		106.4	171.2	106	St. Andrews Road
Richland	St. Andrews	107.1	172.4	107	I-20 – Augusta, Florence	Signed as exits 107A (west) and 107B (east)
	Columbia	107.6	173.2	108A	Bush River Road
		107.8	173.5	108B	I-126 east / US 76 east – Downtown Columbia	East end of US 76 overlap
Lexington	West Columbia	109.7	176.5	110	US 378 – Lexington, West Columbia
		111.3	179.1	111	US 1 to SC 12 – Lexington, West Columbia	Signed as exits 111A (south) and 111B (north)
	Cayce	113.2	182.2	113	SC 302 – Columbia Airport, Cayce
		115.1	185.2	115	US 21 / US 176 / US 321 – Gaston, Cayce
		115.6	186.0	116	I-77 north – Charlotte	Southern terminus of I-77
	​	119.5	192.3	119	US 21 / US 176 – St. Matthews,
Calhoun	​	124.6	200.5	125	Old Sandy Run Road – Gaston	Closed during USMC Mud Run
Lexington	​	128.7	207.1	129	US 21
Calhoun	​	136.3	219.4	136	SC 6 – North, St. Matthews, Swansea
	​	139.3	224.2	139	Burke Road – St. Matthews
Orangeburg	​	145.3	233.8	145	US 601 – Orangeburg, St. Matthews
	​	148.5	239.0	149	SC 33 – Orangeburg, Cameron	To SC State University and Claflin University
	​	154.2	248.2	154	US 301 – Orangeburg, Santee	Signed as exits 154A (south) and 154B (north)
	​	159.0	255.9	159	Homestead Road – Bowman
	​	164.7	265.1	165	SC 210 – Bowman, Vance
	​	168.5	271.2	169	I-95 – Savannah, Florence	Signed as exits 169A (south) and 169B (north)
Dorchester	​	171.5	276.0	172	US 15 – St. George, Santee, Holly Hill	Signed as exits 172A (south) and 172B (north)
	​	177.0	284.9	177	SC 453 – Harleyville, Holly Hill
	​	187.4	301.6	187	SC 27 – Ridgeville, St. George
Berkeley	​	189.2	304.5	189	Volvo Car Drive	To Volvo Cars manufacturing plant
	​	194.4	312.9	194	Jedburg Road – , Pinopolis	Westbound lanes construction; when finished, to be signed as Exits 194B (south) and 194B (north).
	Summerville	197.5	317.8	197	Nexton Parkway	Signed as exits 197A (south) and 197B (north) westbound
		199.0	320.3	199	US 17 Alt. – Summerville, Moncks Corner	Signed as exits 199A (south) and 199B (north)
	Ladson	203.2	327.0	203	College Park Road – Ladson
Charleston	North Charleston	205.0	329.9	205	US 78 to US 52 – Goose Creek, Ladson	Signed as exits 205A (west) and 205B (east); to Charleston Southern University
					Weber Boulevard	Proposed interchange (funded only for right of way procurement)[16]
		208.1	334.9	209A	US 52 Conn. north to US 52 / US 78 – Goose Creek, Moncks Corner	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; southern terminus of US 52 Conn.
		208.6	335.7	209B	Ashley Phosphate Road	Signed as exit 209 eastbound; to Northwoods Mall
		211.1	339.7	211A	Aviation Avenue – Charleston AFB
		211.6	340.5	211B	Remount Road – Hanahan	Formerly exit 211 before 2012; exits connected in both directions via collector-distributor lanes
		212.6	342.1	212	I-526 – Savannah, Mount Pleasant	Signed as exits 212B (west) and 212C (east)
		213.5	343.6	213	Montague Avenue / Tanger Outlet Boulevard / Mall Drive	Signed as exits 213A (Montague Avenue west, Tanger Outlet Boulevard) and 213B (Montague Avenue east) eastbound; eastbound exit only to Tanger Outlet Boulevard, westbound exit and entrance only to Mall Drive
		215.5	346.8	215	SC 642 (Dorchester Road)
		216.3	348.1	216	SC 7 (Cosgrove Avenue) – Federal Complex	Signed as exits 216A (south) and 216B (north)
	Charleston	217.3	349.7	217	US 52 (North Meeting Street) / Port Access Road / Bainbridge Avenue	To Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal. Signed as 217/218 eastbound, 218 westbound
		219.0	352.4	219A	Rutledge Avenue – The Citadel	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		219.3	352.9	219B	Morrison Drive / East Bay Street (US 52 Spur)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		220.2	354.4	220A	Romney Street	Westbound exit only
		220.3	354.5	220B	US 17 north – Mount Pleasant, Georgetown	West end of US 17 overlap; signed as exit 220 eastbound; no eastbound entrance
		220.4	354.7	221B	Meeting Street – Visitor Center, Downtown	Eastbound left exit only
		220.7	355.2	—	King Street (US 78)	Eastbound left exit only
				221A	US 17 south – Savannah	East end of US 17 overlap; continuation beyond eastern terminus
		1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Unopened

See also[]

• Ashley River
• Enoree River
• Lake Murray
• Saluda River
• Sumter National Forest

References[]

External links[]

Route map:

• Media related to Interstate 26 in South Carolina at Wikimedia Commons
• Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page: I-26
• Economic Development History of Interstate 26 in South Carolina - Federal Highway Administration

Interstate 26
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