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Tag: SCDOT

  • Improvements set for Hwy 321 S.

    SCODT lowered speed to 25 over rough patches on Hwy 321 S. | Barbara Ball

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY – A highway project in Fairfield causing angst for drivers is the recent patching of potholes on a stretch of U.S. Hwy 321, just south of where it intersects with Hwy 269.

    The roughness of the road caused by the patching has been the subject of conversations between Fairfield County Councilman Douglas Pauley and road officials.

    “The road is so badly patched in that stretch,” Pauley said, “that vehicles actually shake as they drive over it. SCDOT has even had to post a sign warning drivers that they need to slow down to 25 miles per hour.”

    While Pauley said he was told at one point by one road official not to expect the road to be repaired until 2022, it looks now like the project could be repaired sooner, he said.

    According to Poorer, the 6.5 mile stretch of patching on Hwy 321 is now scheduled for scraping and repaving all the way to the Richland County line.

    “The project will require the contractor to ground down the new patches, then re-patch and resurface with new asphalt and pave the shoulders as well,” Poorer said.

    The bidding process for the project is expected to begin in April.

    “We’re going to expect the successful bidder to have the project completed in the Fall of 2021,” he said.

    “That’s a long time to be driving on such a rough surface,” Pauley said. “But at least the completion is in sight.”

  • Hwy 34 bridge being rebuilt… again

    Reconstruction of bridge over Little River on Highway 34 between Winnsboro and Blair. | Barbara Ball

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY – So, what’s the deal with the seemingly never-ending construction project on the new bridge over the Little River on State Highway 34 in Fairfield County?

    Apparently, the engineering consultant procured by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to design the new 418 foot bridge really messed up – enough that the highway contractor building the bridge is having to demolish part of it and build it again.

    Due to a design flaw discovered during testing, constructions was stopped in November, 2019, and the new bridge is being partially demolished and rebuilt to better standards, said Pete Poorer, director of communications for SCDOT.

    “As the new bridge construction was nearing completion, SCDOT ran tests to confirm that it met design criteria. The testing revealed that though the bridge was built according to the plans, the design failed to meet stringent design criteria,” Poorer said in an emailed statement.

    “In an abundance of caution, the Department directed the consultant to redesign the bridge to proper standards at no cost. Currently the contractor is demolishing the substandard portions of the bridge and will begin reconstruction when completed.”

    Poorer said construction began in May, 2017, on the original replacement project which is taking place beside the existing bridge.

    According to the National Bridge Inventory, a federal database which compiles information about bridges nationwide, the original bridge at this location was built in 1929, and the current one was built in 1967.

    The existing bridge, which is being replaced, is a 395-foot concrete bridge consisting of three spans, about 11 miles west of Winnsboro.

    Poorer said the new bridge construction began after the highway department determined that building a new one would be a better deal than paying for increased maintenance costs on the old one.

    “The replacement of this bridge was identified as a priority of the Department due to the current structure nearing the end of its useful design life. The structure is in no danger to the public in its current state; however, the cost for maintaining the structure is no longer prudent,” Poorer said.

    The new bridge, as initially designed and constructed, likewise posed no threat to the motoring public, he said, but concerns arose with regard to increased future maintenance costs that would be required due to the design flaw that was discovered.

    The redesigned and reconstructed new bridge is expected to be open to traffic in summer 2022.

  • Pine Grove bridge repair delayed

    SCDOT’s District 1 Bridge Replacement Crew work to demolish the Pine Grove Rd. bridge over Persimmon Fork, bordering Richland and Fairfield counties, on Jan. 6, 2020. (Photograph by Cody Crouch/SCDOT)

    COLUMBIA – The opening of the Pine Grove Road bridge, which has been closed for repairs since Dec. 2, is being delayed to March 9.

    The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) issued a statement last week that work on the bridge has been delayed as a result of the demolition process, the first step in the bridge repair, being slowed because of how the bridge was originally constructed.

    “The original deck was poured in place as a single unit, as opposed to sectioned slabs being bolted together,” maintenance engineer Alan Kozusko said. ”It’s a little bit longer process than our usual one, but they’ll get it done.”

    The road connects Richland and Fairfield counties. A detour has been in place using Broom Mill Road, Syrup Mill Road, Muller Road and Blythewood Road to navigate around the construction zone.

    The repair is part of SCOT’s 10-year plan to rebuild and repair approximately half of all structurally deficient bridges in the state at a cost of about $3 million.

  • SCDOT repairs Moultrie Street

    SCDOT crews are currently repairing and repaving Moultrie St. east of S. Congress St.

    WINNSBORO – The S. C. Department of Transportation continues its paving projects in Fairfield County. Several highly traveled roadways have recently been repaved including S.C. Hwy. 200 that was repaved from the I-77 overpass to U.S. 21 in Great Falls. Zion Street in Winnsboro has also been recently repaved, and this week, crews are around the corner repairing and repaving Moultrie Street just east of S. Congress Street. These are some of the projects in Fairfield County under SCDOT’s Strategic 10-Year Plan.

    Next, crews are expected to mill and replace S.C. 215 from Glenns Bridge Road to St. Barnabas Church Road. Additionally, S.C. 34 will be repaved from mile point 17.84 to 19.41, just west of the U.S. 321 Bypass. Crews will also soon replace the bridge on Bellefield Road over Sawney’s Creek.

  • Killian/I-77 Bridge repairs slow traffic

    COLUMBIA – Delays being experienced on Killian Road in the area of I-77 will last approximately six weeks according to SCDOT officials. SCDOT began a construction project to repair the bridge over I-77 on Monday evening.

    The project will be done in two phases, each lasting about three weeks, according to an announcement by SCDOT. The right lane of westbound Killian Road will be closed first, starting at Killian Crossing and ending beyond the overpass of I-77. Upon completion of the right lane of the bridge, traffic will be shifted onto the new lane and the left lane will then be closed to traffic to continue the final stage of the bridge deck repairs.

    The entire project is estimated to take approximately 6 weeks, barring delays due to weather or other circumstances. Work will be done around the clock to lessen the impact to motorists as much as possible, officials said.

    SCDOT warned that traffic in the area is very busy and could cause significant traffic and delays. Officials encouraged motorists to avoid the area by taking alternate routes if possible during construction.

    Officials say crews will work around the clock. SCDOT crews ask that motorists please drive with caution in the construction area.

    The project is part of SCDOT’s 10-year plan to improve what it calls structurally deficient bridges throughout South Carolina.

    All on-ramps and off-ramps to I-77 at this interchange will remain open during construction.