What drivers can expect during Wednesday’s hurricane lane reversal drill on US 278

Drivers traveling along U.S. 278 on Wednesday should be prepared to see several members of state and local agencies in the area as they conduct a lane reversal exercise without actually reversing any lanes.

The exercise will help prepare for the possibility of a hurricane evacuation and will test lane reversal plans for three major coastal areas of the state and along Interstate 26, U.S. 21, U.S. 278, U.S. 501 and S.C. 544, according to a S.C. Department of Public Safety news release.

The exercise will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and should not interfere with the flow of traffic as members of the S.C. Department of Public Safety, the S.C. Department of Transportation, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardons, the S.C. Department of Forestry Commission, the Civil Air Patrol and the S.C. National Guard participate in the training activities.

The departments will simulate reversal operations on U.S. 278 and U.S. 21. Equipment and personnel will be on these roads leading out of Hilton Head and Beaufort.

Law enforcement personnel and traffic control devices will be deployed on Interstate 26 from the intersection of I-526 and I-26 in Charleston to I-77 and I-26 in Columbia.

Traffic control equipment and personnel will be stationed on U.S. 501 beginning at S.C. 544 and ending at U.S. 378 as well as between S.C. 22 and the Marion By-Pass.

Aerial units from SLED, the Civil Air Patrol, the South Carolina National Guard, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the South Carolina Forestry Commission will be flying assigned aerial surveillance routes.

During the exercise, intersections will not be blocked and motorists will be allowed to move freely. However, law enforcement officers and state personnel will be located on the shoulder of the highway and at exits.

This story was originally published June 6, 2017 at 1:20 PM with the headline "What drivers can expect during Wednesday’s hurricane lane reversal drill on US 278."