Interstate 77 widening north of Columbia to start Monday

A two-year project to widen 7 miles of Interstate 77 north of Columbia is ready to begin.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation said construction on the $88 million project will begin Monday and is scheduled to last through July 2018.

The widening includes the only two-lane stretch of I-77 in the Columbia area between the state Highway 277 exit and the Interstate 20 interchange.

The project includes expanding about a dozen bridges and resurfacing a crumbling 5-mile stretch of the freeway north of the widening.

The DOT says both lanes of I-77 should stay open during the day to minimize delays.

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 8:57 PM with the headline "Interstate 77 widening north of Columbia to start Monday."