A stretch of I-77 is about to close for construction. Here’s how it will affect drivers

Beginning Friday, March 24, a stretch of Interstate 77 through Columbia will close for maintenance, as the South Carolina Department of Transportation overhauls 17 deteriorating bridge decks between the Interstate 26 interchange and Bluff Road.

The project will be done in two phases, with the northbound lane closing for nine days, then later the southbound lane closing for nine days.

The northbound lane will be closed from 9 p.m. March 24 through April 2. The second phase of closures will begin in late April.

To repair the bridge decks, the Department of Transportation will use hydro-demolition to remove unsound concrete, and then the decks will be relaid with new concrete, according to the project description shared by the department.

Nine northbound and eight southbound bridge decks will be repaired during the process.

The first closure will detour drivers using I-26 westbound, I-20 eastbound and SC 277 northbound. The second closure will detour drivers on the same roads, going in the reverse direction.

Maps showing the detour routes can be found at the webpage for the project on the Department of Transportation’s website. The department has also provided maps for detour routes to specific destinations.