.svg) Interstate 20 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Strom Thurmond Freeway | ||||
 I-20 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained bySCDOT | ||||
| Length | 141.51 mi[1][2] (227.74 km) | |||
| Existed | 1964–present | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  I-20 atGeorgia state line | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| East end |   I-95 /I-20 BS inFlorence | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | South Carolina | |||
| Counties | Aiken,Lexington,Richland,Kershaw,Lee,Darlington,Florence | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Interstate 20 (I-20) is the main east–westInterstate Highway in the state ofSouth Carolina, linking the state with important transportation and business hubs to the north, west, and south, includingAtlanta, Georgia;Charlotte, North Carolina (viaI-77);Savannah, Georgia (viaI-95); andWashington, D.C. (via I-95). I-20 travels 141.51 miles (227.74 km) west to east, from theGeorgia state line atNorth Augusta, throughColumbia, to end at I-95 in Florence. Past I-95, the roadway continues asInterstate 20 Business (I-20 Bus.) for about two miles (3.2 km) toU.S. Route 76 (US 76), which goes to downtown Florence.
The Interstate parallelsUS 1 closely from the state line toCamden where US 1 diverts away from the route and head northeast towardsNorth Carolina while I-20 turns and heads eastward towards Florence.
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I-20 enters the Palmetto State after crossing theSavannah River fromAugusta, Georgia. Known as theJ. Strom Thurmond Freeway (named forthe US senator), the highway heads northeastward, bypassingAiken andLexington before reaching the state capital ofColumbia. It was constructed in various stages beginning in late 1963, with the final section betweenSouth Carolina Highway 340 (SC 340) andI-20 Bus. opening in August 1975.
At Columbia, I-20 crosses theSaluda andBroad rivers and travels through the northern part of the city and turns eastward, bypassing Fort Jackson andCamden before reachingFlorence. It is at Florence where I-20 sees its eastern terminus atI-95. However, for about two miles (3.2 km), the roadway continues to downtown Florence as I-20 Bus.
TheSouth Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) operates and maintains one welcome center and two rest areas along I-20. The welcome center, which has a travel information facility on site, is located inNorth Augusta at milemarker 0.5 (eastbound), and the rest areas are located inLugoff at milemarker 99 (east and westbound) between exit 92 (U.S. Route 601 [US 601] andSC 12) and the bridges over theWateree River. Common at all locations are public restrooms, public telephones, vending machines, picnic area, and barbecue grills. A pair of closed rest areas exist between exits 44 and 51.
TheSouth Carolina Department of Public Safety andState Transport Police operate and maintain two truck inspection/weigh stations. The eastbound truck weigh station can be found inJones Crossroads at milemarker 35, and the westbound weigh station can be found inLexington at milemarker 53.5.
I-20 first appeared between 1964 and 1967; its first section was completed fromSC 6, south ofLexington, to Spears Creek Church Road (S-40-53), south ofPontiac.[3][4] A second section, from theGeorgia state line toUS 25/SC 121, was completed in 1967.[5] In 1968 or 1969, I-20 was extended east from Spears Creek Church Road (S-40-53) toUS 601/SC 12, south ofCamden.[6] In 1971, I-20 combined the two segments by completing the gap between US 25/SC 121 to SC 6.[7] In 1973, I-20 was extended east toUS 521. In 1974, it extended east again toUS 15. In 1975, another extension east toUS 401. And finally, in 1976, I-20 reached its destination withI-95 and the city ofFlorence.[8] Also in the same year, exit numbers were installed.
In the late 1980s, I-20 was widened to six lanes betweenUS 378 andI-77.[citation needed]
The first proposal to extend I-20 was at the time of its designation in the state, and consisted of plans to extend it east from Florence toMyrtle Beach. However, because Myrtle Beach was not yet the tourist destination it later became, the state eventually widenedUS 76 andUS 501 and establishedSC 576, connecting the two U.S. Routes in the 1970s.[9]
In 2003, North Carolina GovernorMike Easley pushed forward a proposal to extend I-20 eastward from Florence toWilmington, which became part of theNorth Carolina Department of Transportation's strategic transportation plan. The proposed routing would overlap I-20 along I-95 to theI-74/US 74 interchange, then travel east (concurrently with US 74) into Wilmington. In 2005, this proposal became part of the SAFETEA-LU transportation legislation, and North Carolina received $5 million for a feasibility study for this extension.
If built, I-20 will have a concurrency with I-95 about 12 miles (19 km) through Florence, meetI-73 nearMarion, have concurrency with a I-74 about 20 miles (32 km) from Whiteville to east of its future interchange withNorth Carolina Highway 211 (NC 211), and have future interchanges withI-140/US 17/US 74 east/US 421/NC 133 in Wilmington where I-20 will terminate at bridge crossing over theCape Fear River where US 17/US 76/US 421/NC 133 crosses into downtown. However, it will not have a direct interchange withI-40 in Wilmington for this extension. While this extension has considerable support among towns in southeastern North Carolina, theSouth Carolina Department of Transportation has stated that they have no interest in upgrading their portion of US 76 to an Interstate. Instead, South Carolina is focusing on plans to build I-73 that will terminate nearMyrtle Beach.[10]
While the extension had support in North Carolina, with justification that a direct route fromAtlanta to thePort of Wilmington could be a boom to the economy, this view was not shared by officials in South Carolina. In 2009, soon after Governor Mike Easley left office, the proposed routing was removed from all NCDOT plans and was officially dropped. The proposal was never officially discussed withSCDOT nor submitted to theAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and theFederal Highway Administration (FHWA) for consideration.[11]
SCDOT, in cooperation with the FHWA, is proposing improvements to a corridor along I-20, I-26, and I-126, including the system interchanges at I-20/I-26 and I-26/I-126 in Lexington and Richland counties. These improvements are proposed to increase mobility and enhance traffic operations by reducing existing traffic congestion within the corridor, while accommodating future traffic needs. The corridor's approximately 14 miles (23 km) of mainline Interstate include I-26 from exit 101 (Broad River Road, US 176) to east of the Saluda River, I-20 from the west of the Saluda River to west of the Broad River, and I-126 from I-26 to east of the interchange with Colonial Life Boulevard.[12]
This project represents the first bistate agreement between theGeorgia Department of Transportation and SCDOT for a design–build project. This design–build project is for the widening of I-20 with an additional lane in each direction. The widening begins just west ofGeorgia State Route 104 (SR 104) interchange (I-20 GA exit 200) and it will terminate at SC 230 interchange (I-20 SC exit 1). The project will widen 1.8 miles (2.9 km) of I-20, replace four bridges over the Augusta Canal and Savannah River, and make intersection improvements at the West Martintown Road interchange in South Carolina. This project will cost $72 million and is scheduled to be completed in 2022.[13]
Another design–build project is for the widening of I-20 with an additional lane in each direction. The widening will begin just east of US 378 where the roadway transitions from a six lane section to a four lane section and terminate west of the Longs Pond Road interchange near milemarker 49 in Lexington County. The I-20 eastbound and westbound bridges over Norfolk Southern Railroad will be replaced. The pavement for the project will consist of both concrete and asphalt and the existing concrete pavement section will require reconstruction. The widening has since been completed as of June 2022.[14]
| County | Location | mi[2] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiken | North Augusta | 0.0 | 0.0 |  I-20 west (SR 402) –Atlanta | Continuation intoGeorgia | |
| 1.2 | 1.9 | 1 |  SC 230 –North Augusta | |||
| 4.9 | 7.9 | 5 |   US 25 /SC 121 –Edgefield,Johnston | |||
| 5.6 | 9.0 | 6 |  I-520 west (Palmetto Parkway) –North Augusta,Augusta | Eastern terminus of I-520 and Palmetto Parkway | ||
| | 11.1 | 17.9 | 11 | Bettis Academy Road –Graniteville | ||
| Aiken | 17.7 | 28.5 | 18 |  SC 19 –Aiken,Johnston,Edgefield | ||
| 21.9 | 35.2 | 22 |  US 1 –Aiken,Ridge Spring | |||
| | 29.3 | 47.2 | 29 | Wire Road | ||
| | 32.4 | 52.1 | 33 |  SC 39 –Wagener,Monetta,Ridge Spring | ||
| Lexington | | 38.7 | 62.3 | 39 |  US 178 –Pelion,Batesburg-Leesville | |
| | 44.1 | 71.0 | 44 | Road 34 –Gilbert | ||
| | 50.8 | 81.8 | 51 | Longs Pond Road | ||
| Lexington | 54.8 | 88.2 | 55 |  SC 6 –Swansea,Pelion,Lexington | Signed as exits 55A (east) and 55B (west) westbound | |
| 57.5 | 92.5 | 58 |  US 1 –Lexington,West Columbia | ToColumbia Airport | ||
| 61.1 | 98.3 | 61 |  US 378 –West Columbia,Lexington | |||
| Richland | Columbia | 63.2 | 101.7 | 63 | Bush River Road | |
| 64.0 | 103.0 | 64 |  I-26 (US 76 / James F. Byrnes Memorial Freeway) –Spartanburg,Columbia,Charleston | Signed as exits 64A (east) and 64B (west); I-26/US 76 exit 107 | ||
| 65.0 | 104.6 | 65 |  US 176 (Broad River Road) | |||
| 68.2 | 109.8 | 68 |  SC 215 (Monticello Road) –Jenkinsville | |||
| 69.6 | 112.0 | 70 |  US 321 (Fairfield Road) –Winnsboro | |||
| 71.0 | 114.3 | 71 |  US 21 (North Main Street) | |||
| 72.1 | 116.0 | 72 |  SC 555 (Farrow Road) | |||
| 72.7 | 117.0 | 73 |     SC 277 toI-77 north –Columbia,Charlotte | I-20 westbound has no access to SC 277 northbound; SC 277 southbound has no access to I-20 eastbound; signed as exits 73A (south) and 73B (north) | ||
| 73.9 | 118.9 | 74 | US 1 (Two Notch Road) | |||
| 75.5 | 121.5 | 76 | I-77 / Alpine Road –Charleston,Charlotte | Signed as exits 76A (I-77) and exit 76B (Alpine Road) westbound; I-77 exit 16; I-20 eastbound has no direct access to I-77 northbound; eastbound exit Alpine Road to I-77 north | ||
| | 79.8 | 128.4 | 80 | Clemson Road | ||
| | 81.5 | 131.2 | 82 | Spears Creek Church Road –Pontiac | ||
| Kershaw | | 86.7 | 139.5 | 87 | White Pond Road –Elgin | |
| Lugoff | 91.5 | 147.3 | 92 |  US 601 (SC 12 west) –Lugoff,Camden,St. Matthews | Eastern terminus of SC 12 | |
| Camden | 97.5 | 156.9 | 98 |  US 521 –Camden,Sumter,Rembert | ToCamden Military Academy | |
| | 101.2 | 162.9 | 101 | Road 329 | ||
| Lee | | 107.5 | 173.0 | 108 | Jamestown Road –Manville | |
| Bishopville | 115.8 | 186.4 | 116 |  US 15 –Sumter,Bishopville | ||
| 119.7 | 192.6 | 120 |  SC 341 –Bishopville,Lynchburg,Elliott | |||
| | 122.4 | 197.0 | 123 | Road 22 –Lamar | ToLee State Park | |
| Darlington | | 130.6 | 210.2 | 131 |    US 401 toSC 403 –Timmonsville,Darlington,Hartsville,Sumter | |
| | 137.0 | 220.5 | 137 |  SC 340 –Darlington,Timmonsville | ||
| Florence | Florence | 141.2– 141.5 | 227.2– 227.7 | 141 | I-95 –Fayetteville,Savannah I-20 BS east –Florence | Eastern terminus of I-20; signed as exits 141A (north) and 141B (south); I-95 exit 160; toMyrtle Beach via I-95 north; roadway continues as I-20 BS eastbound |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||
I-20 has onebusiness route and oneauxiliary route in the state of South Carolina.I-520 serves as a multi-statebeltway that runs betweenNorth Augusta andAugusta, Georgia.
 Interstate 20 Business | |
|---|---|
| David H. McLeod Boulevard | |
| Location | Florence, South Carolina |
| Length | 2.244 mi[15] (3.611 km) |
| Existed | 1970–present |
Interstate 20 Business (I-20 Bus) is a 2.244-mile (3.611 km) four-laneboulevard-gradebusiness spur of I-20 along David H. McLeod Boulevard, betweenI-95 andUS 76 (West Palmetto Street).[16] SCDOT marks an intersection of West Evans Street as its east end where the roadway continues asUS 76 Connector. However, signage of I-20 Bus. appears past West Evans Street indicating the route continues to its official eastern terminus at an intersection of US 76. SCDOT signs the eastern extension of I-20 Bus. from West Evans Street to US 76 as US 76 Connector which is unsigned in its entire length.[17] Construction began by 1969, completed in 1970, it has remained unchanged since inception.[18]
The entire route is inFlorence,Florence County.
| mi[15] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.000 | 0.000 | I-20 west –ColumbiaI-95 –Fayetteville,Savannah | Interchange; western terminus of I-20 Bus.; signed as exits 141A (north) and 141B (south) using I-20 exit numbering; I-95 exit 160; roadway continues as I-20 westbound | ||
| 2.110 | 3.396 |      West Evans Street toUS 76 west /SC 51 south –Timmonsville,Downtown Florence, Beach traffic | SCDOT marks this intersection as the eastern terminus of I-20 Bus. and the western terminus of unsignedUS 76 Conn. | ||
| 2.244 | 3.611 | US 76 (West Palmetto Street) –Timmonsville,Florence,Myrtle Beach | Official eastern terminus; SCDOT marks this intersection as the eastern terminus of unsigned US 76 Conn.; toFrancis Marion University | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Media related toInterstate 20 in South Carolina at Wikimedia Commons Interstate 20 | ||
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