Traveling I-95 South Carolina

Just drove through Florence less than 12 hours ago on our way back from NJ last night. There were still overhead signs warning drivers not to go around barricades, but there were no barricades to be found. It was dark when we drove through, but I could see lots of fallen trees on the side of the highway.

The reason I don't take I-81 to I-40 to I-75 when coming from the North East is because I live 2 miles from I-95. I-75 is a few hundred miles away. And I-81 is about 100+ miles west of our starting point in the NE. I hate driving through VA on I-95, but I'm not going that far out of my way to avoid it. Our 800 mile trip in the MH from NJ to GA yesterday to 5 minutes shy of 14 hours. We lost about 30 minutes driving through VA, surprisingly traffic was mostly south of Northern VA.

-Michael

If coming from the Northeast, why not use I-81 to !-40, go West a few miles then pick up !-75 and go wherever you wish. You will see some beautiful country and avoid all the extra traffic on the detour route. As one who has been thru an earthquake, a tornado and a hurricane, I can assure you the victims of such disasters do not need more unessessary traffic in their area even if the roads are "open".

From todays news!

Interstate 95, the main East Coast interstate linking Maine to Miami, is reopening in South Carolina more than a week after a 16-mile stretch of the expressway was closed because of flooding.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation says that the southbound lanes on the stretch through a low-lying area in the middle of the state reopened at 8 a.m. Monday. The northbound lanes are expected to reopen later Monday or early Tuesday.

The busy interstate had been closed as workers repaired 13 small bridges damaged in the floods. The department says that 4,000 man hours were expended on the work.

While the highway was closed, drivers had to take a 170-mile detour through Columbia instead of the normal 75-mile drive on I-95 between Interstate 26 and Interstate 20. The added I-95 traffic often caused traffic jams on I-26 southeast of Columbia.

I just drove thru Florence after setting out the rains in Huntington Beach State Park just south of Myrtle.

I got confused on the description of taking I95 to 26.

i go thru Florence, 20 to Columbia and then 26 west.

oops, now i think I got it. That is you wanted to go south on 95 out of Florence to hit 26. :S had to get the ole frazzled out atlas out.

BTW, that was the second biggest rain I have set out in my 7 plus decades of being around.

i saw an article that said there are 13 bridges that are unsound due to the bases being compromised from the rains. the problem is that there is just 1 contractor for the 13 jobs. so, even at just 2 days per bridge, you are looking at a min. of 2 weeks or more.

Duck wrote:
The main question should be is I95 now open?
Don

Doesn't look like it-
http://www.scdot.org/getting/StormResources.aspx

They have maps, pdfs and kml files.

It may be a while.

The main question should be is I95 now open?
Don

Its about 70 mile from I-95/I-20 to Cola and about 70 miles from Cola to I-26 and I-95. In the link

According to Google maps and mapquest this only adds around 70 miles to the trip, you have to deduct the mileage on I-95 you cannot just add in the mileage around Columbia