How will I-95 traffic keep moving as it’s widened? SCDOT explains its 5-year plan

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is well underway on its $825 million, five-year project to widen one of the busiest and most congested corridors on the east coast, Interstate 95 in Jasper County.

Upgrades can’t come fast enough on the interstate through the Hardeeville zone, known for bottlenecks and considered one of the worst rural interstates for freight mobility in a 2021 SCDOT I-95 feasibility report.

The project spans a 10-mile corridor one mile past the Georgia state line to just north of U.S. 278 at mile marker 9. It includes building 14 bridges, reworking Exits 5 and 8 and widening the interstate to three-lanes in each direction. A new proposed interchange – Exit 3 – is a separate project by the Town of Hardeeville.

Although the schedule could change, Craig Winn, the SCDOT Program Manager for the Lowcountry said the completion date will be June 30, 2030.

One step at a time

During construction, SCDOT plans to maintain two lanes of traffic in both directions by completing the work in pieces.

Initial work is focused on areas south of Hardeeville’s Exit 5 while the John Smith Road overpass bridge near Exit 8 is rebuilt. John Smith Road is a vital hurricane evacuation route, and its nine-month reconstruction must be finished before main-line work can proceed.

A detour has already been put in place at John Smith Road, Winn said; construction started in April and is scheduled to be finished by the end of the year.

How lanes will be added to I-95

A total of 14 bridges are being built as part of the project, Winn said. But the Savannah River bridge is the real whopper.

At just over a half-mile long, the plan for building two new bridges and keeping traffic moving in an already congested area was paramount to planning.

Contractors hired by South Carolina will replace the dual, two-lane, Georgia-owned I-95 bridges over the Savannah River with two new three-lane bridges, Winn said.

Workers are widening the interstate in sections and stages, starting at the Georgia border and working north towards Exit 5 in Hardeeville.

First, northbound I-95 widening will be done in two stages, and drivers should remain alert as there will be a lot of lane shifts during construction. Crews have already added a temporary lane on the shoulder for northbound I-95 drivers while they build a portion of the new interstate in the median. Workers will then shift northbound traffic onto the new road, tear up the old interstate and construct the remaining lanes for northbound traffic.

Completion of the new northbound bridge is expected by spring 2029. Construction crews will send southbound traffic onto the northbound bridge, and the wider northbound lanes — divided by concrete barriers — as the new southbound bridge and lanes are built in one stage.

SCDOT has also included an additional fourth lane in the design work which is planned for construction in a future project, Winn said. It’s forward-thinking; earlier this year, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) started seeking public input about adding an additional lane to their stretch of I-95, for a total of four.

Winn said other mainline bridges will be built in a similar fashion, with northbound lanes done in two stages and southbound lanes in one. But unlike the Savannah River bridges, new bridge construction will start in the medians.

This isn’t the first time South Carolina and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) have worked together on a road project, but this is a big one.

Jill Nagel, the communications officer for GDOT, said it’s not uncommon for another state to build a bridge owned by another state. Because the bridge was not going to accommodate South Carolina’s widening, the Palmetto State developed the plans for the bridge replacement.

Georgia is covering 50 percent of the costs associated with the replacement of the I-95 bridges, which were constructed in 1976. The Peach State is also covering 100% of the bridge approaches on its side with an investment of $132 million.

Why is the I-95 widening in South Carolina needed?

Data released in March by the U.S. Census Bureau showed Jasper County was the fastest-growing county in the U.S. by percentage growth. The population rose by 6% between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025.

Hardeeville’s growth is driven by the area’s proximity to the Savannah Ports, I-95 and rail lines. Millions of square feet of logistics and manufacturing space are quickly appearing along the U.S. 17 corridor; the South Atlantic Logistics Terminal alone will span over 800 acres and is expected to include as much as 6 million square feet of warehouse and industrial space upon completion.

With the tremendous growth comes the gridlock, and Winn says the public seems to be onboard.

“These interstate projects, they’re well received,” he said. And even though there may be some hiccups, “[the public is] thankful that it’s finally happening.”