17-05-2025
SCDOT closes Highway 290 bridge over I-85 in Duncan
DUNCAN, S.C. (WSPA) – The SC-290 bridge, located in Duncan, closed to drivers Friday night so crews could work on a new traffic pattern.
Officials with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) previously announced the bridge was scheduled to close from Friday, May 2, through Monday, May 5, to work on the diverging diamond interchange.
The new interchange, SCDOT added, allows traffic to cross from the right side to the left side of the roadway and then back again — improving safety and traffic flow.
The traffic comes as no surprise to drivers on I-85 at exit 63 in Duncan.
Duncan residents said they hope to see less accidents, but even former truck driver Mike Lemire said he is skeptical.
'I've never seen one of those in any other city. I drove for 25 years over the road, and I never saw this. This is going to be interesting,' he said. 'I'm real curious to see how it's going to work out because I think it's going to be impossible to stop all accidents.'
Wade Tolleson is a nearby business worker. He said he's worried about the people who have been used to driving over the bridge for years.
'I've made a joke before that the first week, we're going to see a lot of responses to that bridge because people are just not going to know,' he said. 'I don't know how the signage is gonna go.'
Detour routes and a closure map of the bridge can be found below:
The bridge will reopen to drivers at 6 a.m. on Monday, May 19.
Drivers heading west on the bridge will detour on I-85 to SC-129 southbound to I-85 southbound.
Drivers traveling east on the bridge will be diverted to I-85 southbound to SC-101 then get on I-85 northbound.
For more information, including a virtual simulation of the new traffic pattern, .
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