A boat sank on Lake Murray during the annual Patriotic Boat Parade held the afternoon of July 1.

“We were the second to last boat in line and while following the procession the water became violent with wakes from the passing boats,” the Burleson family posted to GoFundMe. “Our boat was a small 16ft 1983 beechcraft. As our nose dipped from going over one wake, another huge one went straight over the open bow and over took our boat. Luckily myself, my husband, and our two boys made it out with minor cuts and bruises. However the boat was gone in seconds. Along with a lot of our belongings like all our cell phones, truck keys, tools, etc.”

The state Department of Natural Resources confirmed the sinking of the Burleson’s vessel.

“We responded to a call for a sinking boat at about midday Saturday on Lake Murray, between Spence Island and the dam,” Stephen Fastenau, a DNR spokesperson, told the Chronicle. “When our officers arrived, the passengers of the sinking boat had already been helped onto nearby boats. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department also responded. The boat did sink and is the responsibility of the owner to remove.”

The community has rallied to help the Burlesons, which notes it is a “single income military family who just got stationed here” on GoFundMe. The online fundraiser had raised more than $2,500 as of July 11, exceeding its $2,000 goal, and salvage companies have reportedly offered to help the family recover the boat for free. 

New I-26 overpass to open near Chapin

The state Department of Transportation announced the opening of the new Columbia Avenue overpass and ramps that have been in progress for Interstate 26 Exit 91 near Chapin. The new roadway and ramp alignments, which you can view at scdotmidlandsconnection.com, were initially slated to open July 12, but the opening date was subsequently delayed to July 16. 

“The new alignment of Columbia Avenue will be the only way to cross over the I-26,” DOT posted to the project website. “Businesses on the old Columbia Avenue will still be accessible, and the old Columbia Avenue overpass bridge will be closed for demolition.”

The closed ramps in the area will be opened during a future phase of the Midlands Connection project, which is set to conclude in summer 2025.

The project, which began construction in 2020, is intended to “improve a 16-mile segment of the Interstate 26 roadway system that stretches from Exit 85 in Little Mountain to Exit 101 in Irmo,” the website details. 

When complete, it will have modified three interchanges and replaced seven overpass bridges along the stretch of I-26.