Officials announce road closures due to Hurricane Helene

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – As Hurricane Helene heads towards South Carolina, various officials from across the Midlands have announced road closures due to flooding.

City of Columbia

As of around noon Thursday, the City of Columbia announced portions of Whaley Street and Main Street have closed due to having accumulated a significant amount of rain.

Whaley Street is closed from Assembly Street to Sumter Street, and Main Street is closed from Catawba Street to Whaley Street.

The Columbia-Richland Fire Department also reported that the intersection of Main Street and Whaley Street is flooded.

WIS News 10 crews have also picked up on a large amount of rainwater at the intersection of Blossom Street and Huger Street, seen below.

As of around 12:45 p.m., The Columbia Police Department (CPD) said they are redirecting traffic at this intersection due to severe flooding. Westbound traffic on Blossom, who are headed towards Cayce, will be routed to Gervais Street.

At around 1:30 p.m., officials with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) said the Blossom Street bridge has closed due to flooding. Crews are working to reopen the road, but SCDOT said drivers should expect delays.

The intersection of Key Road and Market Street, adjacent to Williams-Brice Stadium has also experienced flooding Thursday. The Columbia-Richland Fire Department said a driver had to be rescued from his vehicle after it stalled out in flood waters on Key Road.

The city said they are sending crews to monitor the closures and eventually reopen the roads.

The following intersections are prone to flooding:

• Main and Whaley
• Gervais and Laurens
• Blossom and Henderson
• Blossom and Saluda
• Harden and Santee
• Monroe and Maple
• Two Notch and Read
• Wheat and Amherst
• Adger and Devine
• Wheat and Sumter
• Wheat and Pickens
• Heyward and Ravenel
• Pickens between Wheat and Green
• Barnwell and Pendleton
• Harden and Read
• Harden and Calhoun
• Franklin and Marion
• Franklin and Sumter
• Columbia College and N. Main
• Bull and Laurel

Columbia officials encourage residents to avoid these areas during and immediately after weather events involving heavy rain.

This story is developing. Check back here for updates.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2024 WIS. All rights reserved.