Round Hill, SC (Paul Kirby) - The Longs Pond Road east and westbound on ramps at Exit 51 will be closed at the end of this week for re-paving. On Thursday, September 12, the westbound entrance ramp will be closed. The next night, Friday, September 13, the eastbound entrance ramp to I-20 on Longs Pond Road will be closed for the same purpose.
Motorists who need to use the westbound on ramp on Thursday should follow the detour route to Two Notch Road, Industrial Drive, and South Lake Drive to get on I-20 westbound. This detour is a bit over four miles and will put you on the interstate at the South Lake Drive, Exit 55, entrance ramp.
During the Friday night closure, motorists heading east who want to get off I-20 at Longs Pond or Exit 51 will also need to detour. Drivers in the situation should stay on I-20 eastbound and use Exit 55 off ramp at South Lake Drive. Those drivers would then turn left from the ramp, cross over the interstate, and re-enter I-20 using Exit 55’s westbound on ramp. They would continue on I-20 westbound to Exit 51 and get off the interstate onto Longs Pond Road.
The first closure of the Exit 51 ramp will occur from 11:30 pm Thursday, September 12th. It will reopen at 4:00 am Friday, September 13th. The Friday night closure of the eastbound off ramp Closure will occur from 11:30 pm Friday, September 13, until 4:00 am Saturday, September 14.
Message board signs along I-20 will display detour directions through the weekend. Motorists are asked to used caution and plan accordingly in case of delays.
The road work is part of a four-phase project to widen an 11-mile stretch of I-20 in Lexington County. The project extends from mile marker 60 near US 378 to mile marker 49 at Longs Pond Road. Upon completion, the project will add a third inside lane in both directions aimed at reducing traffic congestion. It is expected to be completed in the fall of 2019.
Motorists can use SCDOT's 511 Traveler Info www.511sc.org to check road conditions. For more information concerning this project, the public may contact SCDOT Resident Engineer John Burns at (803) 530-8798 or at BurnsJM@scdot.org.
