COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – Interstate 85, near mile marker 44, was shut down for almost five hours on Thursday, as South Carolina State Law Enforcement worked to assess the scene of the bomb threat.
The State Department of Public Safety said Thursday afternoon that State Transport Police pulled over a tractor trailer, due to missing license plate. A short time later, law enforcement was made aware of a possible bomb threat by the driver of the vehicle.
All six lanes of I-85 were then immediately shut down.
Governor Henry McMaster was briefed on the incident and his office sent out a statement.
“I-85 near mile marker 44 is temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution due to a bomb threat issued during a routine traffic stop this afternoon by SC Transport Police. SCDOT and state law enforcement are on the scene, and normal I-85 traffic will resume once the tractor trailer is swept and cleared by sled’s bomb squad.”
Over the next several hours, Highway Patrol, SLED, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the scene, eventually clearing the area and reopening the interstate a little before 8 p.m.