Road Work ahead
Clements Ferry Road Widening
If there were a road sign erected to describe progress on the widening of Clements Ferry Road, it would be anything but “Easy Street.”
The project, which began in 2009, is still in the utility relocation phase, according to Craig Winn, the SCDOT program manager on the venture. But actual construction is expected to get started within the first few months of 2017.
“It will be early next year before (residents in the area) see major work happening,” said Winn.
This week, utility workers will be on site moving materials and equipment. As per the widening contract, they are permitted to do work off to the side during the day that will not impact the traveling public, added Winn. Any lane closures, if needed, will have to occur after 9 p.m. For Berkeley County Councilman Josh Whitley, who took office in early 2015, the delays on the project have been frustrating.
“I’m mostly frustrated for the residents who are suffering,” said Whitley, who attended a meeting with SCDOT officials, the contractor, and utility representatives last week. . “…I can’t fix the past delays, but hopefully I can work to prevent future ones.”
The SCDOT is managing the first phase of the project, which encompasses the stretch of the roadway between the I-526 interchange on Clements Ferry Road and Jack Primus Road. The second phase, from Jack Primus to Highway 41, will be handled by Berkeley County government. While delays are often a normal part of the process for projects such as this, Whitley hopes things will progress more efficiently now that phase one is underway.
“I can push on the things that I can control,” he said. “One of the things we don’t control is the environmental permitting from the Army Corps of Engineers and the federal government with regards to Phase 2. Hopefully the new administration will look at the red tape and help us move things along.”
Whitley also is hopeful for a seamless start on Phase 2 as soon as Phase 1 is complete. When it comes to the roadway’s increasing traffic issues, he urged residents to be patient.
“People want to shut down development and all of that, but that’s just not an option,” he said. “…People have the right to develop a property as it is zoned…The solution is we need major infrastructure planning, more bridges and ways to alleviate traffic congestion on I-526.”
Phase 1 is expected to be completed by the fall of 2019.
Repairs underway on Wando Bridge
The westbound lanes on I-526 at the Wando River near Daniel Island have shifted. The move was necessitated by SCDOT repair work on a damaged cable beneath the Wando River Bridge. According to an SCDOT press release, the shifting of lanes started on Monday, December 5.
The shifts are required, stated the release, to provide safe access for workers, materials, and equipment. Two westbound lanes will remain open. The damaged cable was detected during a routine inspection.
“The cables used in this bridge design are located beneath the deck,” said SCDOT Deputy Secretary of Engineering Leland Colvin. “A single damaged cable does not compromise the integrity of the bridge and it remains safe for travel.”
The project is expected to be completed in March of 2017, weather permitting. The lane shift will remain in place until the work is finished. The SCDOT is urging motorists to use caution when approaching, moving through and leaving the work zone.