Light evacuation traffic puts local lane reversals on hold

Highway lane reversals on U.S. 278 and U.S. 21 in Beaufort County were put on hold Thursday due to light Hurricane Matthew evacuation traffic, according to S.C. Department of Transportation and Highway Patrol officials.

Both highways had one lane reversed beginning at 4 p.m. Wednesday to allow residents to comply with Gov. Nikki Haley’s call for all coastal residents to evacuate before the storm.

Normal traffic patterns will continue on the roads unless there is congestion, Lance Cpl. Gary Miller of the S.C. Highway Patrol said late Thursday afternoon.

The change came after traffic was extremely light Wednesday night, said Wendell Mulligan, with the S.C. Department of Transportation Beaufort office.

“It seems a lot of people took heed to the warning about getting out early,” Mulligan said. “It looks like those who wanted to get out were already gone by the time that the official evacuation began.”

Mulligan said crews have been warned that traffic may pick up again as the storm nears, Mulligan said.

“We’re playing it by ear, but are looking out if there might be a second wave of people who are waiting to leave,” Mulligan said.

S.C. Highway Patrol officials warn coastal residents not too wait until it’s too late to evacuate as it may be too dangerous to travel Friday night or Saturday evening .

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This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 8:50 AM with the headline "Light evacuation traffic puts local lane reversals on hold."