SCDOT awarded $175 million to replace bridges on I-95 over Lake Marion

This week, the Governor Henry McMaster, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, and U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn announced the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has been awarded $175 million by the Federal Highway Administration to replace four bridges on I-95 over Lake Marion. This award is one of the largest federal discretionary grant awards ever received by SCDOT.

Senator Graham and Congressman Clyburn led the South Carolina Congressional Delegation in securing funding for the project. In November, Governor McMaster sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg supporting the delegation’s efforts.

The grant will allow the four bridges, originally constructed in 1968, with narrow shoulders and roadway approaches, to be rebuilt into one bridge with two 12-foot travel lanes in both the southbound and northbound direction. The project would provide a barrier-separated bicycle and pedestrian path.

“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. This could not have been accomplished without the work of Team South Carolina, and especially the work of Senator Graham and Congressman Clyburn, who worked tirelessly to secure this funding.”

The project will also provide space for a potential future additional travel lane in each direction with a 10-foot minimum inside shoulder and a 12-foot outside shoulder in each direction. You can read more on the project here.