Upstate traffic headache in 2010

The South Carolina Department of Transportation will close Interstate 385 in Laurens County on January 4th, 2010 in order to complete what it dubs the “Interstate 385 Rehab Project.” The surface of the highway and the “flyover” bridges will be dealt with. The project is scheduled to be completed by August 15, 2010, which means Interstate 385 will likely be closed for eight months, if there are no delays.

The closure of Interstate 385 is historic. Never before in the history of South Carolina has an interstate highway been closed outright for a construction project. Lane closures happen on a regular basis, but the closing of an entire interstate highway is unprecedented.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation says the dramatic act is necessary in order to save $34.6 million in construction costs. Perhaps the DOT is correct in its assessment. However, the DOT left a lot to be desired in considering how local businesses, commuters, and local roads used as detours would be affected.

Interstate 385 has connected Greenville with Columbia and the ports of Charleston since 1984. In Laurens County, Wal-Mart set up a distribution center adjacent to Interstate 385 because of the relative ease of access its trucks would have. At that particular interstate exit, businesses have been set up. Those businesses will be hurting with eight months of no interstate traffic whatsoever.

The detour routes go through the city of Laurens and the town of Gray Court. While increased traffic might add to some local businesses, the cost of that increased traffic via the wear and tear of the local roads will be significant. Eight months of just twice the heavy truck traffic will have considerable impact on road conditions. Further, local law enforcement will have a more difficult time enforcing the local traffic laws on such an increased volume of traffic.

Then there is Greenville and the Southern Connector Toll Road. Greenville has become accustomed to having a straight shot to Columbia. As things currently stand, if a business needs to ship a part between Greenville and Columbia, it’s about an hour and half trip. That will change January 4th. Also, the Southern Connector is struggling to make its next bond payment. The closure of Interstate 385 will likely drive drivers away from using the Southern Connector to bypass Greenville to get to Interstate 385. That increases the impact on other upstate local roads as drivers try to find other ways to get to Interstate 26.

Indeed, the entire upstate will have traffic headaches in 2010 due to the closure of Interstate 385.

There is also politics at play. The upstate simply does not have the political clout it once had to deter such a situation. Can one imagine the current leadership of the state, including the Governor, the Secretary of Transportation, the Senate President Pro Tempore and the House Speaker, embracing a project that would shut down the Mark Clark Expressway (Interstate 526) in Charleston for over eight months? Can one imagine those Low Country politicians embracing such during an election year? Can one imagine the DOT doing such a thing in the Charleston area and not meeting with local officials and finding ways to help handle the impact? Published reports have even the DOT stating they should have handled local officials in the upstate better.

VUI is not saying that Low Country politicians who lead the way on DOT projects are out to get their rather independent upstate counterparts. The closure of Interstate 385 is not some sort of “RINO” hunt. The closure of Interstate 385, and how it was handled is indicative of how blind the Low Country folks are to the concerns and people in an area of the state that seems foreign to them. Bless their hearts, it is hard to think of how people in a place like Gray Court can be impacted when all you know is Charleston and the islands.