Black ice in construction zone on I-20 causing major problems Wednesday morning

Lexington, SC (Paul Kirby) – Law enforcement and other emergency responders are asking people to use extreme caution if they must travel I-20 from South Lake Drive through the 65 mile-marker. Troopers and other first responders are reporting black ice from South Lake Drive through the entire construction zone as of 6:00 a.m. They were closing I-20 west at 6:10 a.m. from the 58 mile-marker to South Lake Drive (SC 6). It was 28-degrees in Lexington County at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. The east lines are at a crawl.

The first wrecks were at the 58 mile-marker on the west side around 5:00 a.m. Those were followed by another in the east lanes of interstate in the same general area. Since then, there has been a rollover at South Lake and several more accidents in other places. One vehicle just skidded and spun out of control as firefighters were on the shoulder of the highway dealing with another wreck. This is an extremely dangerous situation.

Traffic is almost at a standstill in the east lanes as well according to emergency crews on the scene. It is getting worse and emergency responders are beginning to have problems moving between accidents. One responder simply said that the problem could be attributed to, “Speed!” He said, “It is too icy out here for anyone driving at regular highway speeds. They need to slow down and be prepared in advance to stop.”

There has been no indication as to when the ice can be dealt with and the interstate can be reopened. If you can possibly detour or alter your route, do so.