COLUMBIA, S.C. — A major change is coming for drivers of Arrowood Road, off of I-26, as construction begins to improve malfunction Junction as part of the Carolina Crossroads Project.
"Well, Arrowwood Road is a race track, people just shooting through here, so I won't miss that at all,” said Linda Tuner, who lives right where the closure will take place.
According to the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), the road will close on Monday, May 22 at 7 a.m. and will reopen Monday, August 14th at 7 a.m. The detour will divert motorists down Colonial Life Boulevard and Bush River Road.
For Rejay Gaikwad, the owner of Ben's Cleaner's, he's happy it will bring more people past his shop.
“Always when the people drive from this way, they will drop the clothes off when going home, it's the same thing for other businesses also benefit, a little bit of traffic here and there, but it's always okay it's no big deal,” Gaikwad said.
SCDOT says the detour will allow bridge construction and utility work to be completed.
The project includes improvements to the exit ramp to U.S. 378 from I-26 East, interstate widening in Lexington County, and a full access interchange at Colonial Life Boulevard at I-126.
Once the project is complete, drivers will have access to and from I-26 and I-126 to Colonial Life Blvd, losing the current on and off ramps that access I-26 from Bush River Road.
“I think when this project will be complete, it will be a benefit for all of us,” Gaikwad said.
SCDOT recommends drivers learn the detour ahead of time. They also recommend using the SC511 app to keep up with traffic in real-time.