The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is planning to replace the Tugaloo Road Bridge over the Middle Tyger River.
“Essentially, the bridge has reached its useful life,” Berry Mattox, SCDOT’s Regional Production Engineer, said. “It’s time to replace it. The bridge was built in 1969. The bridge is safe. The motoring public is not in any danger or anything like that. It’s just beyond its time, and it’s time to get a new structure in there.”
More than 18,000 vehicles use the bridge daily, according to SCDOT.
SCDOT's project manager, Trey Brown, said that the transportation agency expects a 35% increase in vehicles using that bridge over the next 20 years.
On Tuesday, SCDOT unveiled plans for the bridge replacement. The new bridge will be built where is the existing bridge currently is. The new bridge will not have weight limits according to the designs.
“It will be able to withstand any truck that is the legal limit to drive on the road,” Brown said.
SCDOT said the bridge will be closed for at least six months during construction.
“There will be a detour in place for at least part of that construction duration,” Mattox said. “It’s about three miles, so about three miles out of the way as opposed to going straight across the bridge now.”
