Lane reversals are scheduled to begin at at 3 p.m. on Wednesday for more than one million people evacuating the South Carolina coast, as Hurricane Matthew approaches the state.

Many of those evacuees will head to Lexington County to take refuge. Lexington County schools have been closed for the next three days. Schools are routinely used as evacuation centers for storm refugees.

The hurricane’s path is still uncertain,but it is threatening to bring strong winds and torrential rain Friday night into Saturday morning.

To expedite evacuations, SCDOT will be reversing lanes on some highways to allow more traffic to flow westward.

Below are the details on lane reversals:

Charleston to Columbia – A full, four lane reversal on I-26 in Charleston will begin at the interchange of I-26 and I-526. The full reversal will continue -toward Lexington County-  west until I-26 connects to I-77 at Cayce.

Hilton Head – One lane is reversed to create three lanes traveling west on US 278 at the intersection of the Spanish Wells Drive and Moss Creek Village Drive. This reversal is approximately two miles in length.

Beaufort – US 21 is reversed to create three lanes at US 21 Business and continues until US 17.
Charleston to Columbia – A full, four lane reversal on I-26 in Charleston begins at the interchange of I-26 and I-526. The full reversal continues west until the I-26 crossover to I-77 just outside Columbia in Lexington County.

Horry County – Horry County has two, four lane reversals: 1) SC 544 to US 378 and 2) SC 22 (Conway Bypass) to SC 576 near Marion County.

Officials urged drivers traveling in reversed lanes to use extreme caution.