I-77 traffic pattern changing at one of the busiest areas between Charlotte and Rock Hill
Traffic patterns on Interstate 77 in Fort Mill are about to change.
The first traffic shift is expected on Sunday as part of ongoing interchange work at Exit 85, where S.C. 160 crosses the interstate. Dates and times could change based on weather, according to a notice from the city of Tega Cay.
United Blythe Joint Venture, the company building the new interchange, will move southbound traffic to the outside shoulder on Sunday night. Traffic will shift onto the new northbound on ramp on Monday night.
Northbound traffic will move to the outside shoulder and a temporary concrete median wall will be installed, both on Tuesday night. The wall installation should last through Friday.
Drivers should prepare for lane closures and traffic pattern changes throughout the week, according to the notice.
Five years ago, York County received about $75 million from the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank to upgrade Exit 85 and Exit 82 in Rock Hill.
The infrastructure bank is a public financing source used on large statewide projects like interchanges or bridges. About $42 million of that infrastructure bank total went to Exit 85. But costs there, and across the region, ballooned since then.
The Exit 85 project initially was projected to cost a little more than $40 million, but has grown to close to $150 million now. Some of the cost increase came with new, larger designs for the work. Others involved increased material and labor costs.
What the I-77 changes will bring
The new Exit 85 will include flyover bridges in the busy area between Baxter and Kingsley in Fort Mill. That spot sees some of the heaviest traffic in the state, with about 125,000 vehicles per day traveling the interstate there.
Interstate traffic on either side of the Exit 85 interchange increased more than 9% from 2021 to 2023, according to state traffic counts.
The closest S.C. 160 traffic count to the interchange registers 38,700 vehicle trips per day. Traffic is up 9.6% there from 2021 to 2023.
Drivers can get live traffic updates, including traffic cam footage, online at 511sc.org.
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 9:55 AM.
