A major road project in Dorchester County is ‘substantially completed’ four years after construction crews broke ground, according to Mike Simpson, with Davis & Floyd Engineering.
Bacons Bridge Road from Lee Street to S.C. 61 has been widened from two to five lanes and bright orange construction cones removed along the project’s entire length—3.8 miles to be exact, Simpson said Monday.
The project started in October 2012 and had its deadline and budget revised sometime afterward. The deadline was pushed back to Nov. 25, 2016, and the cost increased to $25.6 million, due to various change orders, Simpson said.
Despite the deadline extension and rise in cost, all major work on the roadway was done by Nov. 15, and Simpson said he anticipates the project falling between $800,000 and $1 million below budget when all punch-list items are completed. That includes general site cleanup, planting grass and seeding, and erecting signs, among other tasks. After those items are done, the speed limit will return to 45 mph, but only from Lee Street to the intersection of S.C. 61. The current speed limit of 35 mph will remain in effect from Lee Street into town, Simpson said.
However, he didn’t know an exact date for completing punch-list items but said it would be by the end of the year. If not, “some items may go into next year,” he said.
Initially a project headed by Dorchester County Transportation Authority (DCTA), the South Carolina Department of Transportation took it over near the end of construction.
Simpson said in the next two to three weeks a final inspection will be scheduled with DOT.
In addition to widening the roadway, the area received side street paving, handicap ramps, three multi-use paths for bicyclists and pedestrians, and bridge work over the Ashley River.
The goal of the project is to alleviate current traffic congestion and future crowding as traffic counts are expected to only increase in the next several years. According to the DCTA website, daily traffic on Bacons Bridge Road between Dorchester Road and Ashley River Road is predicted to increase to about 40,000 drivers by 2030. That’s more than double the amount tallied along the same stretch in 2004.
County Councilman Jay Byars praised crews involved in the project—Banks Construction in addition to DCTA and Davis & Floyd.
“Like everyone, I am glad to see this project coming to completion,” he said. “Road construction is never fun for anyone. ...I appreciate everyone’s patience.”
Byars said crews worked especially hard to open Cooks Crossroads three years ago, after he made the special request. The intersection was opened ahead of schedule in order to “address a major congestion and safety need,” he said.
