The SCDOT Commission held its February meeting on Thursday, February 20, and this was the first meeting that newly elected SCDOT Commission Chairman, Tony Cox (Dist. 7), presided over. Among the items on the agenda was the approval of a public comment period to get the rural freight interstate program moving forward.
Specifically, the Commission approved a public comment period to amend the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) to include Preliminary Engineering (PE) and Right of Way (ROW) phases for two interstate projects included in the Rural Interstate Freight Network Mobility Improvement Program.
I-26 Corridor Improvement: Widening from Exit 125 Old Sandy Run Rd to Exit 139 Burke Rd (14 miles) in Lexington and Calhoun Counties. Click here to submit public comments.
I-95 Corridor Improvement: Widening from the Georgia Line to Exit 8 US 278 (8 miles) in Jasper County. Click here to submit public comments.
Approval of the public comment period is the first step in making these rural interstate widening projects a reality and ensures that these projects are ready to go after the tax credit sunsets in 2022.
In addition to these rural freight projects, the Commission also approved a public comment period for the I-77 Panthers interchange (at mile marker 81) in York County. This interchange is part of the economic development deal and will support the increased traffic volumes associated with the new development. No SCDOT funding will be used for this project, nor will it compete with ranked projects. Click here to submit public comments.
Following the public comment period, if there are no substantive comments received, these projects will be included in the STIP.