How to survive this month’s work on I-77 bridge. Tips on real-time details, detours
This week traffic will slow to a crawl as I-77 bridge construction begins in Fort Mill and Rock Hill, but drivers have a way to figure out the best times to travel there.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has live action traffic cameras on roads expected to back up by work which will be ongoing May 6-24. Online access to those cameras will show conditions as it’s happening. Drivers can see where there’s a particularly good or bad window to make a trip, and what route to take.
Here’s how to access those cameras:
511 traffic information
Drivers can call 511, download the free 511 South Carolina Traffic app or visit 511sc.org to get information. The app and website work essentially the same way.
Open either, and use the zoom tools to narrow in on I-77 in York County. Blue circles should appear with camera icons in them. If they don’t, click the “traveler information” tab and make sure traffic cameras are selected.
There are almost 60 cameras on I-77 from Columbia to the N.C. state line in Fort Mill. Included are 17 cameras between the bridge and the North Carolina line, and 13 more from the bridge to Firetower Road in Rock Hill. Many are at I-77 interchanges.
Click on any of the I-77 cameras. The website has a dropdown bar (it’s a left or right scroll on the app) that goes directly to any other chosen camera on the interstate. The higher the mile marker number (91 is the state line; 77 is Anderson Road) the closer the camera is to North Carolina. Cameras at mile markers 76.3 and higher are the Rock Hill and Fort Mill areas.
The closest camera to the Catawba River bridge is mile marker 82.4 on the Rock Hill side. It will show the closed portion of the bridge under construction, and northbound lanes that will continue to carry traffic. The closest camera on the Fort Mill side is mile marker 82.8. It shows what will be closed southbound lanes, and northbound ones less than a mile from the bridge.
On Thursday, SCDOT announced it set up a new camera focused on the bridge for the duration of the construction project. It works using the same system.
Detour route roads
The most likely detour around bridge work is U.S. 21. That roadway has two traffic cameras. One is on the Catawba River bridge between Sutton Road in Fort Mill and Cherry Road in Rock Hill. The other is at the Peach Stand in Fort Mill, at U.S. 21 and 160. Use the same methods to access those cameras as the I-77 ones.
Other possible routes around the bridge congestion don’t have live cameras. They include S.C. 49, 274 and Pole Branch Road in Lake Wylie, Zoar Road and S.C. 160 near Tega Cay, Barberville Road or U.S. 521 in Indian Land and others. Those routes still could have traffic notices that pop up on the website or app, as could the interstate of U.S. 21 along that corridor.
North Carolina traffic
The I-77 bridge is less than 10 miles from the North Carolina line, and the interstate is a key connector from Rock Hill and Fort Mill to Charlotte. South Carolina workforce department data shows up to 40% of York County workers have jobs outside the county, the great majority of them in Mecklenburg County, N.C.
North Carolina has a similar online traffic feature to South Carolina. Visit drivenc.gov to access traffic cameras, construction updates, traffic incidents, maintenance and other notices. Make sure the “cameras” layer is turned on under the “filters” tab.
Use the “search” tab to narrow the map to Mecklenburg County, Charlotte or another area of interest. Or, the zoom tool can widen or tighten the map.
The site has five traffic cameras from the state line to Woodlawn Road. The southernmost camera is at I-485 and I-77. Cameras show routinely updated still shots rather than video. There aren’t cameras along likely detoured routes into and out of York County like N.C. 49, N.C. 160, Carowinds Boulevard, Nations Ford Road or the several routes into Lancaster County. Those sites could appear with other updates if traffic conditions warrant.
I-77 bridge project
The bridge work is expected to be extensive, and cause considerable delay. SCDOT recommends planning ahead and using alternate routes, even adjusting work or other travel schedules around morning and evening rush hour if possible.
SCDOT will replace the southbound bridge deck over the Catawba River. Northbound and southbound traffic will squeeze into the typically northbound lanes. Part of the bridge will be closed for round-the-clock work May 6-24.
Ramps heading toward the bridge from Sutton Road in Fort Mill, along with Cherry and Celanese Roads in Rock Hill, will be closed too. As will the collector/distributor northbound on ramp along Exit 82.
The posted detour for the project will be U.S. 21 and Sutton Road.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 11:31 AM with the headline "How to survive this month’s work on I-77 bridge. Tips on real-time details, detours."
