Interstate 95 (I-95) is a major

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

, running along the

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. In

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, I-95 runs approximately parallel to the Atlantic Ocean shore although about inland, from

Hardeeville Hardeeville is a city in Jasper and Beaufort counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 7,473 as of the 2020 census, an increase of over 150% since 2010. Hardeeville is included within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufo ...

in the south to

Dillon Dillon may refer to: People *Dillon (surname) * Dillon (given name) * Dillon (singer) (born 1988), Brazilian singer *Viscount Dillon, a title in the Peerage of Ireland Places Canada *Dillon, Saskatchewan United States *Dillon Beach, Californi ...

in the northeast. The route runs through the cities of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and Walterboro.

Route description

For the most part, the drive is fairly benign, passing through the pine forests, farmlands, and blackwater streams and swamps of the

Atlantic Plain The Atlantic Plain is one of eight distinct United States physiographic regions. The Atlantic Coast of the United States comprises the coastal states of Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Ca ...

. As the route travels north, it moves inland from coastal cities such as Hardeeville and inland to cities such as

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. However, a few landmarks do exist to break up the monotony. Crossing from the south from Georgia just over the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...

bridge, motorists are greeted to an elaborate gateway of

sabal palmetto ''Sabal palmetto'' (, '' SAY-bəl''), also known as cabbage palm, cabbage palmetto, sabal palm, blue palmetto, Carolina palmetto, common palmetto, Garfield's tree, and swamp cabbage, is one of 15 species of palmetto palm. It is native to the So ...

s into the state of South Carolina. The Juanita M. White Crosswalk also exists between exits 18 and 21. A flyover on twin high-spans over Lake Marion provides an unexpected scenic break in the center of the highway's length. The old US Highway 15 (US 15)/ US 301 bridge runs along the west side of I-95 and is used for recreational purposes. Moving further north and out of the Palmetto State, the North Carolina state line is prominently marked by the South of the Border amusement complex at the US 301/ US 501 exit. Local traffic parallel to the Interstate uses a combination of US 17 and US 17 Alternate (US 17 Alt.) from the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

state line north of

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

to Walterboro, US 15 from Walterboro to

Santee Santee may refer to: People * Santee Dakota, a subgroup of the Dakota people, of the U.S. Great Plains * Santee (South Carolina), a Native American people of South Carolina Places * Lake Santee, Indiana, a reservoir and census-designated place * ...

, and US 301 from Santee to South of the Border. In addition, I-95 shares a number of concurrencies, or multiplexes, with three of these

US Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

s at various stretches in South Carolina.

Services

The

South Carolina Department of Transportation The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is a government agency in the US state of South Carolina. Its mission is to build and maintain roads and bridges and administer mass transit services. By state law, the SCDOT's function and ...

(SCDOT) operates and maintains three

welcome center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visi ...

s and five

rest area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway servi ...

s along I-95. Welcome centers, which have a travel information facility on site, are located at milemarkers 4 (northbound), 99 (southbound), and 195 (southbound); rest areas are located at milemarkers 47 (north and southbound), 99 (northbound), and 139 (north and southbound). Common at all locations are public restrooms, public telephones, vending machines, picnic areas, and barbecue grills. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) and South Carolina State Transport Police (STP) operate and maintain one truck inspection/weigh station, located northbound at milemarker 74. The location utilizes weigh-in-motion that does not require commercial motor vehicles to leave the freeway to be weighed. An inspection shed and pit are also on site, where full-service inspections are performed for flagged and randomly picked trucks. Several parking area locations are also found along I-95; these were either formally rest areas or weigh stations that were converted. The parking areas offer no amenities and some are even restricted for commercial motor vehicles only.

Dedicated and memorial names

I-95 in South Carolina feature numerous dedicated or memorialized bridges, interchanges, and stretches of freeway. *

Blue Star Memorial Highway Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Council of State Garden Clubs, now known as National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the program in 1945 after World W ...

– Official South Carolina honorary name of I-95 throughout the state. Markers are located at both welcome centers. * Jacob Ham, Jr. Highway – Is a dedicated portion of I-95 located in

Darlington County Darlington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,905. Its county seat is Darlington. Hartsville is the largest city in the county. Darlington County is home to the Darlington Race ...

, north of

. Dedicated in October, 2013, it is in honor of

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...

Jacob Ham Jr., who served as a trooper with the

South Carolina Highway Patrol The South Carolina Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for South Carolina, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state except for federal or military installations. The Highway Patrol was created in 1930 and is an organization with a ran ...

for 12 years until his death in 1998. * Mark H. Coates Highway – Is a dedicated portion of I-95 located in Jasper County near

and extends on both sides of milemarker 7. In May 1997, the

South Carolina General Assembly The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and t ...

passed a resolution to designate this section of I-95 in honor of Lance Corporal Mark Hunter Coates, who served as a trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol from 1987 until his death in 1992. Coates, who was a native of

Lexington County Lexington County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 293,991, and the 2021 population estimate was 300,137. Its county seat and largest town is Lexington. The county was chartered ...

, was fatally shot near milemarker 7 on November 20, 1992, during a traffic stop.

History

I-95 first appeared on state maps between 1962 and 1964, with construction from US 17 north of

to Ridgeland. By 1967, more sections were under construction, including

Pocotaligo Pocotaligo is an unincorporated community located in northeastern Jasper County, South Carolina, United States, close to the border of Beaufort County. The community takes its name from the Pocotaligo River, a small tidal creek that separates J ...

to Walterboro and

to the North Carolina state line. The first section to officially open happened in 1968, from

South Carolina Highway 527 South Carolina Highway 527 (SC 527) is a state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It travels between Andrews on the Williamsburg– Georgetown county line to Lee County south of Bishopville. The highway travels in a sout ...

(SC 527), near

Gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

, to SC 9/ SC 57, in

. In 1971–1972, more sections of I-95 was completed: going north from SC 9/SC 57, in Dillon, to the North Carolina state line and going south from SC 527, near Gable, along the recently completed 1968-built Lake Marion bridge, to the US 301 connector, in Santee (exit 97). Also part of US 17 between Ridgeland (exit 22) to near Yemassee (exit 33) was combined with I-95, with temporary status through Coosawhatchie; I-95 then continued on new freeway north to SC 63, in Walterboro. By 1975, I-95 was open continuously from US 17, in Hardeeville, to SC 63, in Walterboro; temporary exits were removed around Coosawhatchie. In 1976, the two sections of I-95 were connected, from SC 63, in Walterboro, to the US 301 connector, in Santee (exit 97). In the same year, exit numbers were added along I-95. The last section of I-95 was completed in 1978, connecting US 17, in Hardeeville, south to the Georgia state line. In 1987, US 15 and US 301 were relocated from a parallel bridge across Lake Marion, into a triple concurrency with I-95 between exits 97 and 102. In 1990, exit 21 was added, for what was then US 278, but replaced by SC 336 in 1997. Between 1998 and 2000, exit 153, Honda Way, was added. In 2003, I-95 was widened to six lanes from just south of

I-20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...

to north of SC 327, around

. In the 2010s, local leaders in Hardeeville had requested for a new exit, at milemarker 3, for the RiverPort Business Park, while, in Walterboro, an effort was being made to establish an I-95 business loop that would help steer travelers into the downtown area from the bypassing freeway. Neither efforts had made further traction since their initial announcements. Also, discussions of possibly converting I-95 into a toll road were brought up but was met with resistance, especially within

SCDOT The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is a government agency in the US state of South Carolina. Its mission is to build and maintain roads and bridges and administer mass transit services. By state law, the SCDOT's function and ...

Exit list

References

External links