The South Carolina Department of Transportation says that both major road construction projects in the Upstate are behind schedule.
The 85/385 Gateway Project was supposed to be completed in April. It’s now been pushed to January of 2020. That’s 9 more months of road construction.
The I-85 Widening Project through Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties, expected to take 4 years to complete, is about a year behind schedule and won’t be finished until July of 2021. It’s about 20% complete now.
S.C. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Jim Feda says the contractor inthe Gateway Project was given a 240 day extension due to a lot of impacts beyond their control -- a wetlands permit appeal, the replacement of the bridge on 385 over Garlington Road that was not part of the original project, hurricanes Matthew and Irma, a presidential visit and the eclipse, which caused work to stop for several days due to the influx of people and traffic control.Cost for the Gateway Project is approximately $242 million, while the I-85 Widening Project is the second most expensive roadway project in South Carolina at approximately $436 million. The most expensive is the Cooper River Bridge Replacement Project at $675.2 million. That bridge connects the cities of Charleston and Mount Pleasant. Feda says that upcoming work on I-26 could have figures that eclipse both of those projects.