Driving US 278 or US 21 Thursday? Keep an eye out for hurricane lane reversal drills
Whether we like it or not, Atlantic hurricane season began June 1.
On Thursday, crews from the S.C. Department of Transportation will run a hurricane lane reversal drill on U.S. 21 and U.S. 278 to ensure they’re ready to move evacuation traffic from Beaufort County if needed.
No lanes will be closed during the drill, which will run from approximately 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
If you’re driving in those areas, use caution to avoid crews stationed on the sides of the road.
SCDOT Maintenance crews will travel to locations along the highways to set up barrels and cones on roadsides and shoulders for the drill so they don’t interrupt traffic.
During an actual evacuation, the barrels would be set up on the travel lanes, intersections and exits to manage traffic flow away from the coast.
“Lane reversals are an important element to hurricane evacuations in South Carolina, especially with the tremendous growth along our beautiful coast,” Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall said. “Exercises like this will pay dividends should we need to implement the reversals in the future.”
Drivers are encouraged to identify their evacuation routes well ahead of an actual evacuation, and can do so by visiting SCDOT 511 online, by downloading the app or visiting Scdot.org and selecting the travel tab.
Beaufort County was evacuated for a storm in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 9:21 AM.
