Old Manning Road reopens after repairs due to Matthew

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With little fanfare Old Manning Road reopened last week, ending two separate detours that added five to 10 minutes for motorists more accustomed to the 18-mile straight shot from Brooks Street in Manning to McCrays Mill Road in Sumter. The road had been closed since three days after Hurricane Matthew swept through Clarendon County. Initially, the road was only slightly damaged, but repeated use after the storm caused the state Department of Transporation to close it and place detour signs. Detours led motorists either down Twelve Bridges Road to U.S. 521 before the Sumter-Clarendon line or down Home Branch Road to Paxville Highway after the Clarendon-Sumter line. According to the state Department of Transportation, a two-mile portion of King Road remains the only closure due to washout remaining. Projects are for repairs to be completed "after Thanksgiving," according to an interactive map on the DOT website. County-maintained roads closed due to problems from both Hurricane Matthew and the October 2015 flood include Old River, Haviland, Gunter, Dave Plowden Pond and Rainbow Lake roads and Bernard Drive, along with U.S. 301 between Manning and Turbeville.