I77 lanes reopen after bridge work finishes early but more Columbiaarea detours coming

COLUMBIA — Despite several major rainstorms, state crews repairing bridges on Interstate 77 North wrapped up work a day early, opening up both directions of traffic on the major Columbia-area highway after more than a week of closure. The S.C. Department of Transportation planned to spend nine days, from March 24 through April 2, resurfacing nine bridges in the northbound lanes from I-26 to Bluff Road that have become littered with potholes and cracks, creating a bumpy ride on a major roadway leading to Charlotte and connecting to Charleston and Spartanburg. Instead, crews finished the project late on April 1,…