GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Plans to close a 15-mile stretch of Interstate 385 for up to eight months have lawmakers and others concerned.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation said Thursday that it plans to shut down northbound I-385 from its intersection with Interstate 26 to the Gray Court area in northern Laurens County beginning in January. The agency said that the closure is needed to make some necessary repairs to the highway.

SCDOT said that the repairs include expanding medians and replacing asphalt with concrete. They said that six bridges will also be elevated and a bridge that connects I-26 and I-385 will be replaced.

The planned detour diverts Greenville-bound traffic onto I-26 to Spartanburg and then back southbound on Interstate 85 to Greenville.

Sen. David Thomas, of Fountain Inn, which is just north of Gray Court on I-385, called the closure an inconvenience and time-consuming. He said that the DOT should turn the southbound lanes of the interstate into a two-lane road, allowing northbound traffic to still use the highway. Thomas was not the only person objecting to the planned closure.

A member of the Greenville Pickens Area Transportation Study board told The Greenville News on Friday that the closure would be economically disastrous.

A freight company manager also told the newspaper that his company would be forced to struggle with higher fuel costs and slower delivery times because of the shutdown.

Thomas said that he will meet with officials from SCDOT on Friday to discuss the plan.