FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2007
DPS, OTHER STATE AGENCIES TO CONDUCT FULL-SCALE
HURRICANE LANE REVERSAL EXERCISES
COLUMBIA - The South Carolina Department of Public Safety, in conjunction with a number of other state agencies, will conduct a hurricane evacuation exercise on Thursday, June 21, to test lane reversal plans. Hurricane season began June 1 and ends November 30.
This one day hurricane simulation exercise will be conducted by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
Law enforcement personnel and traffic control devices will be deployed on I-26, U.S. 501 and U.S. 21 as if the roads were reversed for a hurricane evacuation. Lanes will not be reversed as part of the exercise.
The exercise should not interfere with the flow of traffic. Intersections will not be blocked, and motorists will be allowed to move freely. However, the Highway Patrol cautions motorists traveling I-26, U.S. 501 and U.S. 21 to exercise due care and be aware that law enforcement officers and DOT employees will be located on the shoulder of the highway and at exits.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol, South Carolina Emergency Management Division, State Law Enforcement Division, Department of Transportation, Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Forestry Commission, Civil Air Patrol, SC National Guard and Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services will be participating in the exercise. The exercise will last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
As would happen during an actual hurricane, the lane reversal simulation will begin at the intersection of I-526 and I-26 in Charleston and will end at I-77 and I-26 in Columbia. The U.S. 501 exercise will begin near Conway at SC22 and end at SC 576 and Marion Bypass. The U.S. 21 exercise in Beaufort County will begin at Grays Hill and end at Gardens Corner.
Law enforcement officers will be deployed to cover a number of highway interchanges between these points. DOT will supply barricades, cones and other traffic control devices needed to reconfigure the interstate into a one-way operation. Aircraft will be deployed along selected evacuation routes as part of the exercise.
“This hurricane season is predicted to be a busy one. With that in mind, it is essential that we do everything in our power to ensure we are adequately prepared,” said SCDPS Director James K. Schweitzer.