Black ice, crashes shut down stretch of major Midlands highway during morning commute

A section of a major interstate running through Lexington County was closed during the Wednesday morning commute after black ice formed and caused several collisions, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.

All westbound lanes of Interstate 20 were blocked at the 58 mile marker because of the black ice that formed overnight, as temperatures dropped below freezing in the Midlands. That is the exit to connect with U.S. 1, moving traffic toward West Columbia and the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

I-20 was closed from Exit 58 to Exit 55, the South Lake Drive/S.C. 6 exit, according to the Lexington Police Department.

Shortly after 8 a.m., SCDOT tweeted all of the lanes on the highway had been reopened.

A series of crashes were reported from 6-7 a.m. on I-20, prompting the road closure, according to tweets from the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

There were six crashes on the stretch of I-20, according to a tweet from Master Trooper David Jones.

The wrecks were reported in between mile markers 55 and 59, according to Lexington County officials.

Injuries were reported in one of the crashes that occurred at about 6:15 near Exit 58, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety reported.

Information on the number of people injured and their conditions was not available, but Jones said no “major injuries” were reported.

There was no word on the number of vehicles involved in the multiple collisions.

Drivers were asked to seek alternative travel routes while the highway was closed so crews could clear the build up of black ice.

This caused traffic to be heavier than usual in the Town of Lexington, so police urged drivers to expect delays and longer commute times.

“All major roadways out of Lexington are experiencing major congestion,” police tweeted. “Please do your part to drive alert, without distractions and with patience, to prevent a collision.”

A cold front brought arctic air from Canada to the Midlands overnight Tuesday, causing temperatures to drop into the 20-degree range, according to the national Weather Service office in Columbia.

With temperatures dropping below freezing, black ice can form when snow or light rain falls on frozen concrete, freezing quickly to form a layer of ice that is almost invisible against the backdrop of blacktop roads.

Temperatures are forecast to dip into the 20s again Wednesday night, potentially creating more issues for drivers on Thursday.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

Tips for dealing with black ice

Because black ice is so difficult to spot, here are five tips from the National Safety Council on what to do should you hit a patch.

• Keep at least a 5-second following distance from the vehicle in front of you, because it takes twice as long to stop on black ice.
• Never hit the breaks on ice to avoid skidding. Instead, hold your steering wheel steady.
• Be vigilant in the early morning, when air temperature rises faster than pavement temperature.
• Take caution when driving on bridges and overpasses as well as through tunnels.
• Don’t overcorrect your steering if you feel your card sliding.

Source: accuweather.com

This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 7:18 AM with the headline "Black ice, crashes shut down stretch of major Midlands highway during morning commute."

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription