SCDOT wants your input about plans to widen I-95 from Georgia state line past US 278

SCDOT is inviting members of the community to share their thoughts on a proposed I-95 widening project throughout the month of September.

Those interested are encouraged to review the proposal before submitting their comments, both of which can be done on the project’s website. The online initiative will be accompanied by an in-person meeting Sept. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Hardeeville Recreation Center. A Spanish translator will be available at the meeting.

Approved for funding in 2019, the project is set to expand the interstate to six lanes along a 10-mile corridor, beginning past the Georgia state line and finishing near mile marker 9, just north of U.S. 278. Improvements are also planned for 14 bridges, as well as the interchanges at Exit 5 and Exit 8. Additionally, a new interchange has been proposed at Exit 3, to be completed as a separate project by the Town of Hardeeville.

After gathering input from the public, SCDOT plans to modify their proposed improvements in order to “minimize impacts” to the community. A final design is expected to be completed by summer 2024, with construction beginning that winter.

The project aims to alleviate traffic congestion, which SCDOT says will only worsen in the coming decades as Lowcountry communities continue to grow. According to the department’s 2021 I-95 Feasibility Report, the 10-mile corridor ranked as one of South Carolina’s most difficult rural interstates to navigate.

“Improving the flow of people and goods on I-95 is a top priority for SCDOT,” said Christy Hall, SCDOT’s secretary of transportation.