How do I get to my Columbia hotel if there are lane reversals?

There is a way to get to Columbia during an evacuation order, but it might not be easy.

If there is an evacuation, all routes have been created to funnel traffic inland or northward, Kevin Turner, South Carolina Department of Transportation district 6 engineer, said Friday.

All Beaufort County routes move traffic toward Augusta and Interstate 20 or toward Florence on Interstate 95, Turner said. He said traffic will be unable to cross the evacuation routes, making travel on back roads impossible.

It also will be difficult to get off the routes once on them, Turner said. Although, most exits should be open along I-95.

Anyone wanting to travel to Columbia from Beaufort County will have to travel to I-20 and then head toward Columbia, Turner said, or take I-95 to Interstate 26.

All of this depends on traffic volume, though.

Last year, during Hurricane Matthew, some evacuees found that they were unable to exit at I-26 from I-95. Emergency personnel had temporarily closed the exit to ease traffice on I-26.

It is unknown when evacuation routes will end, Turner said.

For more information on the evacuation routes, visit the SC Department of Transportation website, where maps can be printed and a phone application can be downloaded.

To see our local map, click here.

Anyone needing help navigating the evacuation routes can contact SCDOT customer service center at 1-855-467-2368.

To ask a storm-related question or to find out the answers to questions that have already been asked, please click here.

This story was originally published September 8, 2017 at 4:08 PM with the headline "How do I get to my Columbia hotel if there are lane reversals?."