Twin bridges on U.S. 74 functional, as well as one ramp

COLUMBUS — Polk County drivers still have at least another three weeks before the ramp from U.S. 74 West to Interstate 26 East is complete.

The total project began last October, estimated at $19 million, with the North Carolina Department of Transportation completing most of the projects so far.

A new ramp to directly connect Interstate 26 West to U.S. 74 East was completed prior to the World Equestrian Games, held in September at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring.

“Work on the ramp from U.S. 74 West to I-26 East (Ramp F; from TIEC to Greenville/Spartanburg) will require at least another three weeks,” said NCDOT’s David Uchiyama. “Traffic will take the same route that drivers utilized during the World Equestrian Games — from U.S. 74 West to one roundabout on West Mills Street, and then to I-26 toward Spartanburg.”

Uchiyama said NCDOT and the contractor crew returned to the interchange shortly after WEG finished last month.

“The new interchange certainly helped with traffic in the area, especially for trucks involved with the games and large vehicles passing through,” Uchiyama said.

NCDOT also completed two bridges along U.S. 74 at the Pea Ridge Road exit, near TIEC, prior to the games. Uchiyama said the bridges are functionally complete and traffic should continue flowing freely there.

“Crews will still be working in the median and underneath the bridges on punch-list items,” he said.

The ramp from Interstate 26 West to U.S. 74 East, or Ramp E, from Spartanburg to TIEC, is also functionally complete, with Uchiyama saying there is minimal flagging operations there to polish that part of the project.

Other work on the project is the completion of a retaining wall to allow for widening a lane on Interstate 26.

Uchiyama said engineers have scheduled a six- to eight-week timeframe to complete the retaining wall.

“Once that is complete, traffic will be shifted into the final pattern,” he said. “Then the remaining items should have little impact to traffic.”