Drivers on Peak Street in Chapin may once again cross Interstate 26.

The overpass, near mile marker 89 on the highway, has “been completely replaced with a new structure with the latest safety and design standards,” per an Oct. 21 news release from the SC Department of Transportation.

The bridge opened earlier this week and is taller than its predecessor and wide enough in its span to make room for the planned widening of I-26 beneath. The construction of the bridge and the eventual beefing up of the highway below are both part of the Midlands Connection Project, a $522 million effort targeted at improving a 16-mile stretch of the interstate from Exit 85 in Little Mountain to Exit 101 in Irmo.

“The project will improve traffic flow and safety where traffic volumes are expected to double by 2040,” the release states, noting the effort is set to be completed in 2024.

The Peak Street bridge is one of seven overpasses slated for replacement as part of the project. The others, according to the project’s website, are located at Parr Road, Holy Trinity Church Road, Old Hilton Road, Mount Vernon Church Road, Shady Grove Road and Koon Road.

“The overpass bridge replacements will be updated based on current state and federal design standards and will improve driver mobility and safety,” the website states.

I-26 is set to be widened from four to six lanes along an approximately 12-mile stretch from just west of Exit 85 to just west of Exit 97 and from four to eight lanes along the four miles between Exit 97 and Exit 101.

In addition to the bridge improvements and interstate widening, the project will modify three interchanges (Exit 85, Exit 91 and Exit 97), transition a weigh station to be weigh-in-motion and install noise barriers near the Wescott Ridge and Arbor Springs neighborhoods in Chapin and Irmo, respectively.