AASHTO Journal, 20 June 2014
South Carolina Department of Transportation officials announced Thursday four bridges that will be replaced, representing the first projects to receive revenue from ACT 98, a law passed last year that provides additional funding for bridge, resurfacing, and mainline interstate projects.
Signed into law by Governor Nikki Haley one year ago, ACT 98 provides SCDOT a “nonrecurring appropriation of $50 million to be used as the state match requirement for the federal-aid bridge program.” Doing so will allow state funds that had originally been tapped as the state match requirement for federal-aid bridges to be used to repair about 90 bridges that are closed or load-restricted, enabling SCDOT to address about 25 percent of the state’s load-restricted bridges over the next two to three years.
The bridges being replaced are: Oconee County’s Bridge on Bountyland Road over tributary to Richland Creek; Pickens County’s Bridge on Table Rock Road over tributary to Oolenoy River; Pickens County’s Bridge on Carrick Creek Road over tributary to Oolenoy River; and Pickens County’s Bridge on Terrapin Crossing over tributary to Praters Creek. Those bridges were the successful bids from a list of closed or load-restricted bridges.
“The additional funding for our bridges from ACT 98 will result in a significant benefit to South Carolina,” said SCDOT Secretary Janet Oakley in a statement. “We are working to replace load restricted or closed bridges across the state with this funding. These new bridges will improve safety and help local economies, where bridge restrictions have caused detours for truck traffic as well as emergency services.”
Additional information on South Carolina’s ACT 98 is available here.
