What drives you crazy? Potholes on I-526

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — From speeders and slowpokes to bridges and blinkers, we asked you to tell us what drives you crazy on the roads, and we’ve heard it all.

Recently, a recurring theme among News 2 viewer submissions has been potholes on I-526.

“There was pothole after pothole after pothole. And it wasn’t just one, it was the whole stretch of road,” said Jamie Edwards, resident of Park Circle.

Edwards said he drives on the Mark Clark Expressway through West Ashley all the time — a roadway he considers deteriorating and dangerous.

“It was really really hard to drive on. People would switch lanes constantly to avoid all these potholes,” he said.

Richard Urban, resident of Carolina Bay, drives on 526 eastbound near Paul Cantrell Boulevard very often, and shared a similar sentiment.

“There’s just a strip of hole of hole after hole after hole. A long, good-sized strip of craters. They’re not even holes anymore, they’re craters,” Urban said.

Thankfully, there is some great news for Mark Clark commuters — these potholes won’t last long.

Last month, News 2 reported the start of an interstate resurfacing project. The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) began repaving 526 between International Boulevard and Highway 17 in West Ashley, as well as between Long Point Road and Chuck Dawley Boulevard in Mount Pleasant.

This week, News 2 reached out to SCDOT for an update on the project’s progress.

State transportation officials said currently, the contractor is working in the westbound direction along the interstate’s main corridor between the intersection of International Boulevard and where 526 ends on 17 in West Ashley.

Weather dependent, this section will be completed in the next couple of weeks.

After that, crews will begin repaving the same section in the east bound direction. The work on the Mount Pleasant end of 526 will follow, officials said.

SCDOT officials remind drivers to slow down and stay alert in work zones.

“We appreciate the patience of our community members while crews work to complete this resurfacing work,” said Kelly Moore, SCDOT director of public engagement, in a statement.

The entire project is expected to be completed this summer, officials said. Some viewers tell News 2 they’ve already noticed a difference.

“Fortunately, they have started repaving it, and it seems to be going pretty quickly, so that’s exciting,” Edwards said. “Because really, it was bad enough to wreck your car or bend a wheel…it wasn’t just a minor inconvenience, it was really bad.” 

SCDOT encourages anyone with a concern to contact their customer service center directly at 855-467-2368.

If there’s something else driving you crazy on the road, we’d love to hear about it and get some answers for you. Click here or email Megan Fee at [email protected].