News Summary
The Greenville County School Board has authorized the replacement of the flood-damaged South Hudson Street bridge following severe weather events.
Greenville County, SC – The Greenville County School Board of Trustees has officially approved two motions allowing the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to proceed with the replacement of the flood-damaged South Hudson Street bridge. This decision follows recent severe weather events that left the bridge in disrepair, notably during Tropical Storms Debby and Helene in the fall of the previous year.
The South Hudson Street bridge, located near Unity Park, suffered substantial damage from flooding, prompting SCDOT to prioritize its reconstruction. As part of an emergency response, SCDOT identified ten bridges across South Carolina requiring immediate replacement, including the South Hudson Street bridge, leading to accelerated plans for reconstruction.
To initiate the bridge work, SCDOT needed to acquire a small section of land from the Greenville County School District. This land acquisition involves a 0.028-acre strip adjacent to A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School, which is necessary to widen the new bridge properly. SCDOT intends to compensate the school district $50,000 for this land.
Once construction begins on the new bridge, which is anticipated to take approximately eight months to complete, the area will experience significant changes. The construction process will improve safety and reliability as the existing bridge is load-restricted and nearing the end of its usable life. Both motions related to the land acquisition and bridge replacement received unanimous support during a brief discussion at the board meeting on May 27.
Scott Carlin, the executive director of facilities for the Greenville County School District, indicated that necessary paperwork would be finalized to facilitate the transition of land ownership soon, aiming for completion by the end of the week. This timely action would enable SCDOT to commence the essential repairs without delay.
While the bridge replacement is seen as critical for restoring infrastructure and enhancing community safety, it is expected to disrupt traffic in downtown Greenville during construction. Burke Royster, the Greenville School District Superintendent, recognized that the road closure would impact traffic flow but emphasized the long-term benefits of the repairs.
In addition to the South Hudson Street bridge, SCDOT has also closed the Keeler Bridge Road bridge for repairs after inspections revealed issues with the vertical supports. Local traffic on Keeler Bridge Road remains operational, although detours have been implemented for larger vehicles to redirect them around the closure site.
Regular inspections of bridges by SCDOT are carried out every two to four years, depending on factors such as whether the bridge is situated over water or land. This systematic approach helps identify infrastructure needs and address them promptly. SCDOT is actively working to expedite construction projects, particularly for communities affected by Tropical Storms Debby and Helene to mitigate disruptions.
Future plans indicate that SCDOT is set to replace multiple other bridges damaged by the storms in 2025, including three in Greenville County and another in nearby Spartanburg County. These projects aim to prioritize safe and reliable infrastructure while meeting current design standards. Another bridge, the S-115 bridge over the Middle Tyger River in Greenville County, is also scheduled for replacement under a similar timeline due to damage sustained from Hurricane Helene.
As the Greenville County School Board facilitates this land acquisition for the South Hudson Street bridge, SCDOT will continue to coordinate with the City of Greenville in developing the new bridge designs to ensure they meet community needs.
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Additional Resources
- Greenville Online
- Wikipedia: South Carolina
- Fox Carolina
- Google Search: Greenville County bridge repairs
- WSPA
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Greenville County
- WYFF
- Google News: Greenville County bridge closure
- Greenville Journal
- Google Scholar: Greenville County School District infrastructure
- The State
