COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Transportation announced Thursday that it has made plans to accelerate the replacement of the bridge on S-2-105 (Old Vaucluse Road) over Interstate 20 in Aiken County.
The new bridge will replace the one that was damaged beyond repair by a strike and fire earlier this month, a news release said.
“After demolishing the damaged bridge and reopening the interstate in just 36 hours following the strike, our team is hard at work to get the new bridge designed and constructed. We are committed to getting the bridge replaced by this time next year and to minimizing traffic disruptions on the interstate during construction. We appreciate the hard work of our contractors and the patience of our community members,” Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell said.
The original bridge was constructed in 1968 and was damaged around 4 a.m. June 14 when a tractor-trailer carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline hit the structure near mile marker 13 and burst into flames. I-20 was closed for 36 hours and traffic detoured.
Old Vaucluse Road is currently closed and a detour remains in place.
The new bridge will be an on-alignment configuration and will be constructed to comply with current design criteria. Studies revealed no significant impacts or effects to resources within the project study area.
Members of the public may visit the project website to learn more and share comments: https://projectportal.scdot.org/S-105-over-I-20
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