YORK COUNTY, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – Rock Hill and Fort Mill seeing more traffic than usual this week as construction continues on the I-77 Catawba River Bridge. SCDOT leaders saying they’re keeping an close eye on traffic patterns.
We’re just one week into the I-77 Catawba Bridge Project and we’re seeing increases traffic flows in the Rock Hill – Fort Mill area. But as that construction continues, drivers are finding that there are new routes to take.
Leland Colvin, Deputy Secretary for Engineering at SCDOT, saying, “Those other parallel rounds Celanese Road, Cherry Road, Sutton Road, they’re congested. Traffic’s moving but it’s very congested and we’re monitoring that at our traffic reading center in the Rock Hill area.”
The York County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Highway Patrol, Fort Mill and Rock Hill’s Police Departments joining forces as traffic flows change. Rock Hill Police Department’s Lieutenant Michael Chavis saying most drivers have been very cooperative.
“What we’ve noticed is, a lot of people are being patient, they’re slowing down, they’re trying to merge in and merge out as quickly as possible — so we can keep that traffic flowing,” says Lieutenant Chavis.
Drivers saying were surprised at smoother morning traffic flows. Rock Hill’s Dean Rollo drives 30 minutes into Charlotte each morning, and says southbound traffic delays in the afternoons has changed more for him, than mornings. His advice for other drivers…
“Don’t ride in those right-hand lanes and try and jump in, that just makes people angry. People talk about the zipper being in two lanes, that works if you were going into moving traffic, zipper all the time. Zippering into a construction zone — I wouldn’t recommend it, so scoot over early and pack your patience,” says Rollo.
SCDOT leaders say updates to the 52-year-old bridge, will tack on 30 to 40 years of life for the bridge. They say eventually work will need to be done on the northbound side of the bridge, there’s no projected date on when that will take place. Overall, leaders say they’re pleased with the progression of the project — even moving a little ahead of schedule.
“This bridge, northbound and southbound, they carry about 120,000 vehicles a day. So a very, very heavily traveled section of interstate in South Carolina and certainly right here in the Rock Hill – Fort in Mill area. But we’re very appreciative of all the locals, certainly of the law-enforcement both Highway Patrol and local law-enforcement and really the motorists’ patience as we go out there and do this critical work,” says Colvin.
SCDOT is projected to be finished with that project by May 24, just before the Memorial Day holiday.
In the video above, CN2’s Rachel Richardson has more on what traffic patterns have looked like and new alternative routes to take, in the morning and afternoons.
