Malfunction Junction: Milestones met…but bulk of work remains

From The Post and Courier

COLUMBIA — Major portions of the decade-long project to improve the area where interstates 20 and 26 meet outside of Columbia are nearing completion, but some of the most drastic changes are yet to come.

The Carolina Crossroads project broke ground in 2021 as the fix for the long-maligned collection of interstates outside of Columbia, commonly referred to as Malfunction Junction.

Estimated to cost over $1.7 billion and last until the end of the decade, state officials have called it the largest road construction project in South Carolina history.

The project was reorganized into five phases last February.

The first two — consisting of improvements to Interstates 26 and 126 and Colonial Boulevard, and to I-20 and Broad River Road, respectively — “are nearing the end of major construction,” S.C. Department of Transportation reported in its November newsletter.

Some major milestones reached in those first phases include:

Extending the I-26 eastbound exit ramp to U.S. 378 and Sunset Boulevard in June 2023.

A new interchange at I-126 and Colonial Life Boulevard opened in September 2024.

Separating the I-20 westbound exit ramp onto I-26 westbound from the main I-20 artery to keep traffic from blocking I-20 in January 2025.

Opening a new diverging diamond interchange on Broad River Road at I-20 in June 2025.

Work on the multi-faceted third phase began in early 2025.

“Phase 3B”, which mostly consists of clearing 170 acres around where Bush River and St. Andrews roads meet the interstate, is about half complete. SCDOT expects the clearing work to be finished early next year.

“Phase 3A” calls for relocating various frontage roads and utilities to make way for future work. Those projects are in the design phase and work will begin in 2026, according to the project’s website.

Plans are being finalized for “Phase 3C,” which will widen I-20 and replace bridges between Bush River Road and U.S. 378. Construction is set to begin in 2026.

Further down the line in 2027, work is expected to begin on “Phase 3D” — reconstructing the I-26 and I-126 interchange and several bridges. The fourth and fifth phases, which entail widening I-26 and reconstructing the interchange with Harbison Boulevard, also are to begin that year.

Despite the momentum, it will be a while before the heart of Malfunction Junction at the I-20 and I-26 interchange will be taken head-on. That phase, 3E, isn’t scheduled to begin construction until 2030.

The long-anticipated Carolina Crossroads project began to make major, visible progress in 2024. Construction has taken place mostly overnight and on weekends, according to SCDOT. Periodic lane closures and traffic flow changes are posted on the project’s website.

When complete, the overhaul is expected to save drivers an average of 112 hours spent in traffic per year in the bottleneck, which sees 237,000 vehicles pass through daily, according to SCDOT.

The improvements are “critical to the state’s economic vitality and will enhance the daily commute for thousands of South Carolinians,” the department said on the project’s website.

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Source: https://nathansnews.com/2025/12/malfunction-junction-milestones-met-but-bulk-of-work-remains/