Designated evacuation routes out of East Cooper

Annex E to the SC Hurricane Plan (May 2026) sets the East Cooper routes verbatim: "(1) Evacuees leaving Mount Pleasant will take I-526 or US 17 south to I-26. (2) Those leaving Sullivan's Island will use SC 703 to I-526 Business to access I-526, then I-26. (3) Evacuees from the Isle of Palms will use the Isle of Palms connector (SC 517) to go to US 17, where the right lane will turn north on US 17, then proceed to SC 41, to SC 402, then to US 52 to SC 375, then to US 521 to US 378 to Columbia. (4) Evacuees using the left lanes of the Isle of Palms connector will turn left to go to I-526 and then on to I-26. (5) Evacuees on I-526 from East Cooper will be directed to the normal westbound lanes of I-26." The 2026 SC Hurricane Guide reprints the same routes. Two consequences follow from the published text: East Cooper traffic is routed onto the NORMAL westbound lanes of I-26, not the reversed lanes; and the Isle of Palms connector splits by lane, with the right lane sent north on US 17 to SC 41 rather than toward I-526. Adjacent routes: Daniel Island "will use I-526 or Clements Ferry Road as conditions warrant"; Awendaw and McClellanville "will take SC 45 to US 52. to SC 375 to US 521 to SC 261 to US 378 to Columbia." SCDOT states that motorists should "follow those signs and not their GPS device, which may not follow the evacuation routes." Checked 2026-09-04.