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South Carolina transportation officials and a Federal Highway Administration administrator highlighted ongoing work on the Carolina Crossroads project, the multibillion-dollar effort to rebuild Columbia’s notorious “Malfunction-Junction.”
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The project is designed to improve safety, reduce congestion and strengthen mobility along the I-20, I-26 and I-126 corridors, according to Justin Powell, secretary of the South Carolina Department of Transportation. The interchange was built in the 1960s, but population growth, economic development and increased traffic have strained the system, Powell told reporters Wednesday.
Construction began in November 2021 and, so far, crews have completed work on a full-service interchange at I-126 and Colonial Life Boulevard, a removal of the Bush River Road interchange, improvements to the I-26 and U.S. 378 interchange near Sunset Boulevard and reconstruction of the Broad River Road interchange, Powell said.
The current phase, known as Phase 3C, involves replacing aging bridges carrying I-20 over the Saluda River and nearby CSX railroad tracks. Crews are drilling shafts and building new bridges beside existing travel lanes, so traffic can remain open during construction, Powell said.
Officials said procurement for Phase 3D, which will replace the I-26/I-126 interchange, begins this week, according to Powell. Utility and frontage-road work is expected to start early next year, followed by widening I-26 from St. Andrews Road toward Broad River Road. Construction on the main I-20/I-26 interchange is planned to begin in early 2030.
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Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster said the project is expected to cost about $2.7 billion, with 90% funded by federal taxpayers. The completed project could save drivers more than 100 hours annually, while helping relieve congestion that officials said costs the national economy nearly $270 billion each year, according to McMaster.
Officials urged drivers to slow down, obey posted speed limits and avoid using cellphones in work zones as construction continues.
Powell said that since he began driving in South Carolina at age 16, Malfunction-Junction has been an ongoing problem.
“We’re tackling (traffic concerns) in South Carolina that have been out there that haven’t been tackled,” Powell said.
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