South Carolina DOT Picks Up Speed

ARRA Funding Helping State Agency Address Backlog of Needs

By Debra Wood

Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has allowed South Carolina’s transportation department to nearly double its traditional construction lettings.

Chris Kelly of Richland Construction works on the Palmetto Parkway project. Here, he checks the thickness of the concrete roadway. The concrete measures a little over 11 in. deep. (Photo courtesy Rob Thompson / SCDOT)

“If things go well this year, we are pushing $1 billion in lettings,” says John Walsh, chief engineer for planning, location and design for the South Carolina Dept. of Transportation. “But the stimulus money is a one-time shot.

”The SCDOT spent $425 million in federal highway funds last year and less than $100 million in state-funded maintenance projects. This year, Walsh expects the state will award close to $500 million in traditional federally funded projects, less than $100 million in state-funded work and the $463 million in stimulus money.

“Some intersection improvement projects are part of the stimulus money, and there were dollars allocated to interstate improvements, resurfacing basically,” says Sammy Hendrix, director of the South Carolina Highway-Heavy Division for Carolinas AGC in Columbia, S.C.

Most of the state’s projects focus on maintenance rather than adding capacity.“We have been spending our attention on intersection improvements and fixing what we have,” Walsh says. “We have 42,000 mi of roads, and a lot of them need attention.”

Stimulus spending SCDOT has obligated $200 million of its stimulus money, exceeding the amount required within 120 days of passage, and $110 million has been contracted.

Paving projects should get a boost due to the increased funding from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. (Photo courtesy Rob Thompson / SCDOT)

“We have a good menu of projects,” Walsh says. “We don’t want to send any money back. There is no doubt a lot of places can use attention, and we’ll be able to get deeper down our priority list with this funding.

”R.R. Dawson Bridge Co. of Lexington, Ky., received one of the first contracts to replace eight bridges on U.S. Route 378 from Maple Swamp in Marion County to S-24 in Horry County, including one over the Little Pee Dee River. The rest span wetland overflow areas.

All of the new bridges will employ prestressed concrete girders. The $26.6-million project also entails several miles of grading. R.R. Dawson expected to start construction by early June and complete the work by October 2011, says Wayne Quertermous, the firm’s chief engineer“The bids that came in were significantly under our estimates,” Walsh said.

The SCDOT still must let $14 million in sidewalk enhancements. Each of the seven existing highway districts will have $2 million to spend.

Traditional lettings Gas-tax revenues have been declining for the last several years.

“The unfortunate thing in South Carolina is we have only a 16-cent tax,” says Hendrix, explaining that states with taxes at 24 cents or 25 cents have more of a cushion. Much of the funds received must pay down bonds, he adds.

One recent federally funded project is a $31.5-million rehabilitation of the 1,154-ft-long Ben Sawyer Bridge connecting Sullivan’s Island and Mount Pleasant. The design-build project involves replacing the approach spans, the swing span and the electrical and mechanical systems. Area residents wanted to keep the existing bridge’s size and style. The bridge was built in 1945 and had become an area icon.

In July 2008 dump trucks were hauling 27 cu yds of fill with every trip to Palmetto Parkway. Large quantities of fill were required due to the changes in elevation along the roadway. The work here was near the Clearwater Road interchange. (Photo courtesy Rob Thompson / SCDOT)

The new bridge, over the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, will be slightly wider than the current bridge to allow for 14-ft traffic lanes and a 5.5-ft-wide sidewalk.

Design began in October. Hardesty & Hanover of New York serves as the engineer of record, and PCL Civil Constructors of Tampa, Fla., is the contractor.

“It’s an unusual job in that we are doing several things at once, concurrently designing the bridge, preparing shop drawings and fabricating the components,” says Bruce Trott, district manager for PCL. “At the same time, we’re in the field carrying on multiple operations.

”Crews are installing a combination trestle access and false-work system on either side of the bridge and will use that to build the 12 new approach structures. PCL also is constructing the main swing span with the control house and machinery at a nearby dry dock location.

PCL will then move the steel approach spans into position during a seven-day road closure later this year, using a jacking, lift and roll system. The old bridge will be rolled to a support structure. Then crews will roll the new approach spans into position. During that time, PCL also will use a barge to float the 245-ft-long, steel and concrete swing span into place. Once complete, crews will dismantle and remove the old swing bridge.

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“It comes down to detailed planning, minute by minute,” Trott says.

The $125.9-million, design-build Interstate 520 phase two Palmetto Parkway project, awarded in 2006, is expected to wrap up this summer. United Contractors of Great Falls, S.C., is the prime contractor, and U.S. Constructors of Columbia, S.C., the project manager. The 6.5-mi project completes I-520 from U.S. Route 1 to Interstate 20. Scope of work included three interchanges, 13 bridges and improvements to existing roads.

Upcoming work In the fall SCDOT plans to let a $21-million, U.S. Route 21 bridge project in York County, and a $15-million, U.S. Route 78 bridge project in Orangeburg and Bamburg counties.

By late summer or early fall, the department plans to release a few capacity projects, including a $25-million widening of U.S. Route 25 in Greenville, a $30-million widening of U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Berkeley County and a $20-million widening of S.C. Route 602 in Lexington County. The state expects to let a $10-million contract later this fall to build a new locator route in Anderson County.

Useful sources:

South Carolina Department of Transportation
http://www.dot.state.sc.us/

Ben Sawyer Bridge
http://www.bensawyerbridge.com