Going north through SC on I95

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Rene T

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Farmington NH
I had a blowout on my 5vr on the way down to FL through SC. The road (I-95 southbound) was the worst I've ever seen.  Does anyone know how the northbound lane is?
I typically go all the way up to Richmond on I-95 then take I-288 to I-64 to I-81 north.
If the northbound side of I-95 in SC is bad, I'll take I-26 up to Columbia then I-77 through Charlotte to I-81 north.
 
We pulled up 95 6 weeks ago from Jax to Richmond and it was rough in the outside lane, as you have feared. I saw in an earlier post where you blew a tire on the way down and thought you might have experienced some ply separation due to the potholes, etc. We also had some ply separation on one of our tires that reared it?s ugly head a week later in New York, but I don?t know if it got started in S Carolina or not. We?re headed back to Fla from N Carolina in two days, but will be catching 95 south from 26. We?ve only pulled north of 26 that one time, but I do think it was worse than the section southbound from 26. They?ve been doing a lot of work on 26 east of Columbia and we?ll check it out as we go through. I do know we?re always glad to get out of S Carolina!
 
We will be heaed down to Fl next wk. SC has been the worst part for yrs. Are there still big delays for construction. Last yr it seemed that tree removal was a big holdup.
Just no quick or easy way around it. We can take either way down 81-77-26 or 15 -17-95 but 26 is a concrete road with rough joints the last time we went that way. It only cuts off half of SC95
 
I forgot to add that if it were me, I?d go ahead and take the 26 to 77 route. You?ll cut your time on 95 in half and if you?re not in a hurry, you can spend a day or so visiting the Yadkin Valley wineries off 77. I can recommend a few. ?
 
Robert K said:
We will be heaed down to Fl next wk. SC has been the worst part for yrs. Are there still big delays for construction. Last yr it seemed that tree removal was a big holdup.
Just no quick or easy way around it. We can take either way down 81-77-26 or 15 -17-95 but 26 is a concrete road with rough joints the last time we went that way. It only cuts off half of SC95

Thanks Bob. Just make sure you take it easy. If you can do it at night, you may be better off by staying in the passing lane. It appeared to be to be smoother. Not sure about the construction.  There was no construction at all in the daytime. We came down through on a Friday early afternoon. All the work is being done at night I think.
 
Patnsuzanne said:
We pulled up 95 6 weeks ago from Jax to Richmond and it was rough in the outside lane, as you have feared. I saw in an earlier post where you blew a tire on the way down and thought you might have experienced some ply separation due to the potholes, etc. We also had some ply separation on one of our tires that reared it?s ugly head a week later in New York, but I don?t know if it got started in S Carolina or not. We?re headed back to Fla from N Carolina in two days, but will be catching 95 south from 26. We?ve only pulled north of 26 that one time, but I do think it was worse than the section southbound from 26. They?ve been doing a lot of work on 26 east of Columbia and we?ll check it out as we go through. I do know we?re always glad to get out of S Carolina!

Thanks Patnsuzanne. Please let me know how 77/26 is.
 
OK Ren? and others!! You have convinced me. I will use the I81, 76, 26, I95 route this year I think. Have not taken that route for a few years now but used  I81, 64  to Richmond and then I 95 through North and South Carolina for the last few years. I will not be hauling a trailer though.

Unfortunately we will not be leaving until January  or so this time around, (health issues).
 
Alfa38User said:
OK Ren? and others!! You have convinced me. I will use the I81, 76, 26, I95 route this year I think. Have not taken that route for a few years now but used  I81, 64  to Richmond and then I 95 through North and South Carolina for the last few years. I will not be hauling a trailer though.

Unfortunately we will not be leaving until January  or so this time around, (health issues).

If you're not towing, I would still take 64. You can stay in the passing lane on 95. It looked a lot smoother.
 
kdbgoat said:
Just use 301!  ;D

Looking at 301, it's a 2 lane road. One north and one South. It looks like a country back road with virtually very little services and it goes through several small inky-dinky towns. The road does look in good shape though. Towing on a road like that would probably restrict me to 45 MPH.
 
Yep, slow down and enjoy life! :) Actually, I was just kidding. It is a lot of stop and go, but I have made better time on 301 in the past than I would have made going down 95 when the traffic was backed up from Florence to the NC state line.
 
If I had the time I would do the77 -26 and take 321 from Colombia to Savanaha looks like a nice straight shot.
This is a quick trip to Fl for a retirement party(excuse for a trip) unfortunately not mine. Maybe on our trip back down in Feb 
 
Rene T said:
Thanks Patnsuzanne. Please let me know how 77/26 is.
[/quote/
Well, we pulled south all they way through N Carolina and down to Columbia on 77 today, then east on 26 to 95 and then south on 95 into Ga. the good news is that 26 from 95 to Columbia is fine. A sight better than 95. The bad news is that there is construction on 77 around Columbia, but that?s nothing compared to the construction on 77 from downtown Charlotte north. It?s affecting both north and southbound lanes and runs north for over 20 miles!  Northbound seemed to be running smoother than us heading south, but that was around 10am. I imagine that it really ties up around 5 in the afternoon. It?s a major project that won?t be done by next spring, so if you opt for that route, I?d try to hit it on a Sunday morning, if possible.
 
We did I-95 all the way through SC just once. Now we always use the 95/26/77/81 route. Fancy Gap is a bit of a climb, but at least the road is in good shape.
 
Robert K said:
If I had the time I would do the77 -26 and take 321 from Colombia to Savanaha looks like a nice straight shot.
This is a quick trip to Fl for a retirement party(excuse for a trip) unfortunately not mine. Maybe on our trip back down in Feb

I have taken 321 both north and south, the road is not bad, just watch your speed through all the little towns.
 
About 3 mo ago I heard I-95 was rough so I took I-90 to I-71 South then I-65 South to I 40 then I-40 to I-30 to I-35 South to I-10 East to I-95. I think I missed most of the rough spots. Sorry but I did and couldn't resist. ;)
Bill
 
Patnsuzanne said:
Rene T said:
Thanks Patnsuzanne. Please let me know how 77/26 is.
[/quote/
Well, we pulled south all they way through N Carolina and down to Columbia on 77 today, then east on 26 to 95 and then south on 95 into Ga. the good news is that 26 from 95 to Columbia is fine. A sight better than 95. The bad news is that there is construction on 77 around Columbia, but that?s nothing compared to the construction on 77 from downtown Charlotte north. It?s affecting both north and southbound lanes and runs north for over 20 miles!  Northbound seemed to be running smoother than us heading south, but that was around 10am. I imagine that it really ties up around 5 in the afternoon. It?s a major project that won?t be done by next spring, so if you opt for that route, I?d try to hit it on a Sunday morning, if possible.


Thanks Patnsuzanne. That looks like the route to take going home this spring. I will keep it in mind to try to hit it on a weekend for sure. Thanks.
 
I've done a lot of scenic highways through SC and other places.

Many times the speed limit will be 65 then slow down to 45 and 35 when it passes through a rural town then back up again. I do mind the speed limit. When I evacuated from Florida for Irma, I ran up 301 avoiding all interstates.

The eye candy of alternate highways is outstanding. I find the scenic highways and byways to be less stressful. There aren't big trucks to push me around when they pass. The rig isn't being maxed out on speed. Some of the scenic routes still have beautiful picnic table stops on the roadside where you can take a break, use the bathroom, stretch your legs, walk the dog, fix a snack.
 
Just got back home today. My SC 95 report is it is not any worse than the rest from VA to Ga.
Maybe its the airbags I added to my coach but the bridge jumps (joints) on the ashphalt is worse than the concrete road in SC.
I did notice a big difference over all in stability with air bags.
 
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