The state Department of Transportation recently announced a couple changes — one temporary, one permanent — that will impact drivers in Lexington County.

The temporary change is part of the ongoing Carolina Crossroads project to untangle the conglomerated interchange of Interstates 20, 26 and 126 coming into Columbia (commonly referred to as “Malfunction Junction”).

Nightly detours will continue Oct. 2-13 at the I-20/Broad River Road interchange.

“These nightly detours of I-20 traffic will allow girders to be safely lifted by cranes across the closed interstate travel lanes and set in their permanent location, which is a major step in construction of the first of two new Broad River Road bridges over I-20,” the department details in a release. “Message boards and construction signs will be placed along I-20 and Broad River Road throughout the duration of the detour to inform motorists of the temporary traffic pattern. Law enforcement will also be present at the intersection of Broad River Road to effectively monitor and direct traffic.”

The detours for I-20 westbound went Oct. 2-4.

The detours for I-20 eastbound will go 11 p.m.-5 a.m., Oct. 5-12, and “traffic will be directed to take the exit 65 off-ramp to Broad River Road,” the release states. “At the traffic signal, drivers will travel directly across Broad River Road and take the I-20 eastbound on-ramp back to the interstate.”

The permanent change impacts a traffic pattern along the U.S. Highway 1 at Dooley Road as part of the ongoing project to improve the U.S. 1/I-20 interchange near Lexington.

“A new left turn and a commercial driveway, providing access from Dooley Road to the Murphy Express and Bojangles, will open this Wednesday, Oct. 4,” a release states. “Direct access from U.S. 1 to these businesses will become a right-in, right-out turn only. Drivers will not be able to enter or exit these businesses by making a left turn from, or onto, U.S. 1. However, drivers will now be able to access the business more easily from the Dooley Road side.

“Message boards will be placed along U.S. 1 to alert motorists to the changes. Motorists are advised to use caution and plan accordingly in case of delays,” DOT adds. “Upon completion, the U.S. 1 over 1-20 Interchange Improvement Project will fully replace the existing interchange to improve overall traffic through this area.”

West Columbia tire shop to reopen under national brand

Ricky’s Tire & Auto Center will live again — but under a new name.

Ricky’s Tire & Auto Center, which until July operated located at 1534 Sunset Blvd. in West Columbia beneath a big billboard featuring the beaming visage of owner Ricky Branham, announced last week that it has teamed with Chad Bechtel, franchise owner of Precision Tune Auto Care in Lexington, to reopen the shop under that national brand. 

“It’s going to be a blessing for everyone involved,” Ricky’s posted to Facebook Sept. 27. “Thank you all for all the support and I look forward to seeing you again!!!!!”

According to the Greater Cayce West Columbia Chamber of Commerce website, Branham started Ricky's in 2016 after working for several years at Kershaw Tire in Cayce.

The shop wasn’t Branham’s only labor and won’t be when he resumes operation. He serves as an assistant pastor at Faith Baptist Church of Columbia. 

People were excited to see the news, with Ricky’s Facebook posts receiving more than 160 reactions and 47 comments as of Oct. 3.

Lexington County deputies make first arrest under ‘Gavin’s Law’

Lexington County deputies made their first arrest recently under a new law aimed at fighting sexual extortion.

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department announced Sept. 29 that it had “charged a 14-year-old male from Chapin with sexual extortion for his role in threatening to release doctored nude images associated with a female classmate” under the new legislation, known as “Gavin’s Law.”

“Based on interviews with the students involved, someone took the face of a female classmate and digitally edited other nude images to make it look like the female was depicted in the images,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon is quoted. “We worked with school district officials to get to the bottom of this and determined a charge of sexual extortion against one student was warranted because he threatened to public share the images.”

The law, which is named in memory of 17-year-old Gavin Guffey, was signed into law by Gov. Henry McMaster in May. State Rep. Brandon Guffey (R-York) pushed for the law after Gavin, his son, killed himself when he was extorted after sending photos to a person he thought was a college-aged woman.

The name of the first person arrested under the law by the county Sheriff’s Department won’t be released since he’s under 18. Per the release, he was released to the custody of his parents and is set to appear in Lexington County Family Court at a later date.

“This issue is something we are taking very seriously,’ Koon is quoted in the release, which encourages teens and adults to report suspicious or harmful content, activity or accounts on social media that make them feel unsafe. “With today’s technology, it’s all too easy to prey on innocent people. Those who try this should know ‘Gavin’s Law’ is a tool for us to charge anyone who intimidates or blackmails another person with explicit images, whether real or fake.”