Federal, state officials mark $175 million grant for new I-95 bridge

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., speaks at the award ceremony for $175 million federal grant to replace the I-95 bridge over Lake Marion on Friday, August 2, 2024 (Abraham Kenmore/SC Daily Gazette)

SUMMERTON — The obvious result of a $175 million federal grant awarded Friday may be a new bridge for Interstate 95 over Lake Marion. But U.S. Rep. James Clyburn is excited about a less visible aspect of the project: clean drinking water.

A 24-inch pipe attached to the bridge will bring drinking water into Clarendon County, where the town of Summerton has had issues with its water system for years . Clyburn said when state Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell first showed him the plans for the structure, he asked that it include piping from the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency into Clarendon.

That proposal added $33 million to the cost, but Clyburn said it would be worth it to improve water service to the small town of 800 people.

“In my very first conversation with Secretary (of Transportation Pete) Buttigieg, I said ‘yes, it’s about the bridge. But it’s about more than the bridge,’” Clyburn said. “I showed him where the system had failed in Summerton … He listened and he listened and he never said a word. But that was good enough for me, because he did not say no.”

Last month, the federal funding came through.

$175M federal grant enables SC to build new I-95 bridge over Lake Marion

The award ceremony brought state and federal officials out to the lake. Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Lindsey Graham joined Clyburn, Powell and Polly Trottenberg, the federal deputy secretary of transportation, on a pedestrian bridge that will be replaced in the new construction.

“We work together a good bit, and it’s always around something like this,” Graham said. “When I call Jim (Clyburn) up, he always says ‘Let’s get it done.’ ”

The federal grant will cover half the project. The cost not covered in the federal grant will include $105 million from South Carolina’s normal share of federal highway funding and $70 million from state taxes.

The current set of bridges, built in 1968, are the only route across the massive lake. The now aging spans could require weight restrictions by next year. Any closure could result in a 70-mile detour on a highway that stretches up the East Coast.

“We need a new bridge yesterday,” Graham said.

The funds come from the bipartisan federal infrastructure law, which Graham backed along with 18 of his Republican colleagues. Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina’s junior senator, voted against it. None of South Carolina’s Republican members of the House voted to back the bill either .

South Carolina competed against other states for a chunk of the federal money, said Trottenberg with the federal Department of Transportation.

“You’re in rarefied company, five billion dollars in announcements going to just 13 projects all around the country,” Trottenberg said. “It’s an honor to be here and I can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and work closely with you all on this project.”

The new bridge will be 130 feet wide, to accommodate three lanes of traffic each way initially. There eventually will be enough room for four lanes each way, plus shoulders on each side wide enough for a car to pull over.

The span will also include a 14-foot-wide path for bicycles and pedestrians to cross the lake, separated from traffic by concrete and fencing, according to the state DOT. The walkway will join the Palmetto Trail , a network of trails that will span 500 miles from Lowcountry to Upstate when finished.

Powell said DOT plans to to have the project under contract by next year. It should take three or four years to complete. Traffic will continue uninterrupted, as the new bridge is constructed in phases and the old bridges demolished, he said.

“This is a day that’s been long talked about. Many questioned if they would ever see it happen,” Powell said. “I’m thrilled to say it is no longer a dream but a reality.”