South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Deputy Secretary for Engineering Leland Colvin held a media briefing on Friday to discuss the Interstate 77 southbound bridge repair project.
The bridge spans the Catawba River Bridge in York County. It is more than 40 years old and has been repaired multiple times over the past decade, often taking several days to complete.
Work began on the project on May 6 and is scheduled to be completed today, approximately half the time state officials projected.
Work was expedited by having crews onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The work was able to be completed even during inclement weather.
Workers stayed in a hotel close to the construction site. Every worker was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to ensure an outbreak of the virus did not delay the project.
In addition, contractors risked being fined $10,000 an hour for every hour the project was late.
During the repair period, traffic was diverted to two of the four lanes of I-77 north, causing traffic delays and backups. In addition, seven river access points were closed. Traffic was monitored in real-time, and traffic lights were adjusted when needed.