CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – As counties across South Carolina are still working to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the state’s Department of Transportation is working to clear blocked roadways.
SCDOT spokesperson Kelly Moore said crews have been out working 24/7 since before Helene made landfall last week.
“It is important for people to have access to school, to work, get to work, to healthcare,” Moore said. “We can’t just leave the debris on the side of the roadways. It is a safety issue, if you have an incident on the roadway and need to get off to the shoulder, having things in the roadway or having debris in the roadway can cause more damage or injury.”
State Transportation Secretary Justin Powell said Thursday during a briefing from the state’s Emergency Operations Center that 319 routes remained closed, mostly in the Upstate and western South Carolina where Helene caused the most damage. While the agency’s main priority is removing debris to get the roads reopened, Powell said the biggest obstacle has been power lines entangled in downed trees and branches.
“As we get through the initial stage of getting roadways open, you will see crews go back out to clear the debris of the sides of the roadways. That is a long process, it will take several weeks just with the amount of damage and debris that we saw with this storm, but we are going to get to work on it as soon as we can,” Moore said.
SCDOT encourages anyone who sees storm debris blocking a roadway to report it to them by calling 855-467-2368.
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