The Rainbow Drive bridge over I-26 in West Columbia opened at 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to the S.C. Department of Transportation. Crews were still removing signs and barrels in the area, but the overpass is open to vehicle traffic.

Traffic will be limited on Rainbow Drive, because Wilton Road, that feeds into Rainbow is still closed due to damage from the 2015 flood.

The opening was a only week late. Robert Power, an SCDOT resident construction engineer in West Columbia, said two weeks ago, that the road would open last Wednesday (Nov. 7.) Weather and other factors sometimes delay construction.

Traffic that would normally use the Rainbow Drive bridge was being detoured to SC 602 (Platt Springs Road) and S-32-71, while the overpass was down.

Replacement of the bridge was necessary due the bridge’s structurally deficient condition. To facilitate replacement of the bridge in the most efficient and cost-effective manner, Rainbow Drive was closed between Eddine Drive and Beverly Drive on the east side of I-26 and Dawn Drive on the west side of I-26, according to SCDOT.

(Photos by Rob Thompson/SCDOT)