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, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

, running along the East Coast of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

from

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. In

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, I-95 runs approximately parallel to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

shore although about inland, from Hardeeville in the south to

Dillon Dillon may refer to: People *Dillon (surname) * Dillon (given name) *Dillon (singer) (born 1988), Brazilian singer * J. J. Dillon, primary ring name of American professional wrestler James Morrison (born 1942) Places Canada * Dillon, Saskatchewa ...

in the northeast. The route runs through the cities of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

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 physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic divisions of the contiguous United States. Using the USGS physiographic classification system, the Atlantic Plain division comprises two provinc ...

. 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. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

. 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 Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

bridge, motorists are greeted to an elaborate gateway of

sabal palmetto ''Sabal palmetto'' (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, 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 Saba ...

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 South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

state line north of

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

to Walterboro, US 15 from Walterboro to Santee, 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 h ...

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 an ...

(SCDOT) operates and maintains three

welcome center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic ce ...

s and five

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

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, National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the progra ...

– 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, north of

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

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal. Etymology The presumed origin of the rank of lance corp ...

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

South Carolina Highway Patrol The South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) 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 wi ...

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

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. Its county seat and largest community is Lexington. The county was chartered in 1785 and was named in commemoration o ...

, 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 Hardeeville to Ridgeland. By 1967, more sections were under construction, including Pocotaligo to Walterboro and Santee 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 south ...

(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 redesignated as 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 I20, I 20 or I-20 may refer to: * Interstate 20, a highway in the southeastern United States * I-20 (form), a United States government document that provides supporting information for the issuance of a student visa or change of status * I-20 (rap ...

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. These tolls have been advocated by legislators in State Districts 36 and 40 in order to fund their counties (Clarendon and Orangeburg), where Lake Marion crosses.

Exit list

References

External links