Politics & Government
Huge Highway Project on the Horizon
Improvements to I-85/385 Interchange will take three years, and add two more levels of traffic in hopes of easing congestion and improving safety.
The public got a closeup view Thursday night of a $245 million project that aims to improve the congested Interstate 85/385 interchange.
About 75 people came out to a SCDOT public hearing in Greenville to hear more about the proposed improvements, which should begin in mid-2014 andtake an estimated three years to complete.
Many raised concerns about the noise, confusion, and gridlock the construction will create, but agreed that something needs to be done to correct one of the state's busiest highway junctions, according to a report by the Greenville News.
In an effort to ease congestion and improve safety at the interchange, which sees an average of 200,000 cars a day, SCDOT is proposing to replace two steeply curving loop ramps with straighter ones, and add two more elevated levels of traffic.
A roadway would be built along I-385 north to help distribute traffic to I-85 and Woodruff Road. A fourth lane would be added onto I-85 in both directions between Woodruff and Pelham roads, the newspaper reported.
Once construction commences, SCDOT hopes to do most of the work at night, a SCDOT official told WSPA.
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