The South Carolina Department of Transportation investigates the partial collapse of a bridge restricted to the two lanes load in the rural county of Pickens. No injuries were reported to the incident, which took place on Monday afternoon.
Built in 1968, the bridge that covered the Crowe Creek/Ellenburg Branch of Lake Keowee was part of a 14 -mile detour that had been in its place since last year, while SCDOT replaced two other structures on the 183 state road nearby. According to local media, testimonies reported that specific tricks and diapers crossed the 165-feet-foot structure. SCDOT claims that the bridge, which had been scheduled for replacement due to structural deficiencies, was determined that it was in a fair state during its most recent inspection, made in April 2025. Before the addition of diverting traffic, the bridge managed 2,000 vehicles a day.
SCDOT was planning to keep the existing bridge open during the construction of a three -foot replacement passage of 190 feet in a new alignment, according to the 2022 Agency’s public information program. Dear at the moment to cost $ 6.425 million, this two -year project will begin this fall. The agency does not yet have to determine how the collapse will affect the calendar and the strategy of the project.
With more than a quarter of its interstate, primary and second bridges built in the 1960’s or earlier, South Carolina’s transport leaders have sought additional funding to close a growing maintenance gap. Each of the last two sessions of the state legislature has allocated $ 200 million to bridgework, with the last round scheduled to address about 160 structures. SCDOT has also received about $ 240 million in federal funding for bridge projects over the past year.
