South Carolina awarded $175M for bridges

(The Center Square) — The federal government is sending $175 million in tax money to the South Carolina Department of Transportation for a bridge rehabilitation project.

Department leaders say it is “one of the largest federal discretionary grant awards ever received by SCDOT.” The agency will use the money to replace four bridges built in 1968 on Interstate 95 over Lake Marion in Clarendon and Orangeburg counties, a project officials said should, in part, lower maintenance costs.

“The I-95 bridge project has long been a top priority in South Carolina, and once complete, it will reduce highway congestion, improve safety and enhance coastal evacuation capabilities during major hurricanes,” Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement.

The money, announced by the Federal Highway Administration, is part of $5 billion for 13 “nationally significant bridges” in 16 states. The program’s funding comes from the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

The state plans to replace the four bridges with a single bridge with two 12-foot-wide travel lanes in each direction and “a barrier-separated bicycle and pedestrian path.” The project will also include space for additional travel lanes in each direction and wider inside and outside shoulders.

“SCDOT worked aggressively to make this project shovel ready and I expect the project will be under contract next year,” Secretary of Transportation Justin P. Powell said in a statement.

The South Carolina Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state a D-plus in its 2021 Report Card for South Carolina’s Infrastructure, the most recent available. The group gave the state a C for bridges, noting the Transportation Department manages roughly 90% of the state’s 9,410 bridges.

“The state is highly dependent on the large number of bridges for connectivity between communities as well as intrastate and interstate commerce,” the group said in its report card. “...The average age for bridges is almost 39 years old, close [to] the 50-year service life. Nearly 11% of South Carolina’s bridges are rated as structurally deficient, higher than the national average of 7.5%.”

The group found that, according to Federal Highway Administration standards, 47% of the state’s bridges were in fair condition, while 45% were in good condition.