Drivers delayed on morning commute toward Columbia after crashes on interstate
A series of crashes on a major highway running through the Midlands blocked traffic and caused delays for drivers on the Thursday morning commute toward Columbia.
One collision happened just before 8 a.m. on Interstate 20, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said on Twitter.
An eastbound lane of I-20 was blocked by the wreck, near Exit 55, according to the tweet. That’s in Lexington County, near the junction with S.C. 6.
No injuries were reported in the crash, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
The delays were longer because drivers were unable to move into the open lane since a concrete barrier separated them as part of an ongoing traffic shift on the highway to widen the road.
The highway was cleared shortly after 8 a.m., according to SCDOT, but commuters still faced delays.
A collision further up I-20 in Richland County created another traffic jam for drivers once they cleared the crash near Exit 55.
SCDOT cameras showed traffic was backed up for miles following a collision in the eastbound lanes of I-20, near Exit 65. The right lane was closed because of the wreck, bottling up the interstate as far back as the Bush River Road exit at the 63 mile marker, according to SCDOT.
Emergency vehicles were shown in the right lane and on the shoulder at the 66 mile marker, SCDOT cameras showed.
That crash occurred at about 7:45 a.m., minutes before the wreck near Exit 55, SCDOT tweeted.
Injuries were reported by the Department of Public Safety in the crash near Exit 65, which is the junction with Broad River Road and U.S. 176.
Information on the number of people hurt, or their conditions was not available.
All eastbound lanes on I-20 were reopened shortly after 9 p.m., SCDOT tweeted.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 8:13 AM with the headline "Drivers delayed on morning commute toward Columbia after crashes on interstate."
