page_title: Interstate 26 in South Carolina
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Interstate 26 in South Carolina / History
caption_attribution_description: English: This photo was taken while traveling on South I-26 in South Carolina, at mile-marker 79 - about 20 miles south of the interchange with I-385.
context_page_description: Interstate 26 is a South Carolina Interstate highway running generally east–west from near Landrum, in Spartanburg County, to U.S. Route 17, in Charleston, South Carolina. It is also the longest interstate highway in South Carolina.
context_section_description: Construction of I-26 began in 1957 in the Columbia area with the 9-mile (14 km) section from the Broad River to near Irmo.  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 6-mile (9.7 km) section from SC 210 to US 15 opened in September 1962.  Construction proceeded in stages heading both west up towards Greenville and east towards 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 of I-26 were completed by February 1969.
  In the 1980s-90s, I-26 around Columbia was widened from four to six lanes.  In the mid-90s, 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 off-ramp and westbound on-ramps with US 17 south.  In the mid-2010s, I-26 was widened SE of Columbia from I-77 to Old Sandy Run Rd.  Starting in 2019 or 2020, a long stretch of I-26 NW of Columbia will begin widening construction from four to six lanes from SC 202 at Little Mountain to US 76/176 at Irmo.
  In 2011, a plan to add a lane in each direction between Broad River Road and St. Andrews Road through "Malfunction Junction" had $8.5 million in funding but was expected to start sometime after 2012 and take two years.
  On October 5, 2016, I-26 had all lanes converted to westbound only, from I-77 to I-526, due to Hurricane Matthew. This was done again on September 11, 2018 due to Hurricane Florence, and in September 2019 for Hurricane Dorian.
  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; construction and reopening planned for 2019.
  On October 18, 2018, SCDOT approves 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.
caption: East I-26 in South Carolina at mile marker 79, just south of Newberry
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