The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and Lane Construction are rehabilitating various bridges spanning the Wateree River in Kershaw County, about 30 miles northeast of Columbia on Interstate 20 (I-20). The interstate — which runs from Florence, South Carolina, to Reeves County, Texas — is a major roadway through central South Carolina.
The centerpiece of the project is a pair of two-lane bridges that serve eastbound and westbound traffic. The aging bridges were constructed in the early 1970s and have reached the end of their service life. Currently, the average daily traffic on the bridge is 42,754, with trucks accounting for 21 percent of traffic, and volumes are projected to increase by nearly 35 percent by 2045.
The bridges’ wear and tear are evident and require SCDOT to perform recurring maintenance.
“The bridges had lots of deck problems and barrier wall problems, and maintenance was having to go out there repetitively and keep these things fixed and tidied up,” SCDOT District Construction Engineer Jason Fulmer said.
These ongoing repairs have created recurring delays and reliability challenges for the traveling public.
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The project also includes the rehabilitation of three overflow bridges located east of the river. Each bridge includes an eastbound and a westbound lane.
“When we were putting the project together, we added three overflow bridges in each direction of the project, as they also had lots of maintenance issues,” Fulmer said.
Another bridge (also separated by direction) was added as part of a change order. It was necessary due to the new alignment.
While work is underway to replace the eastbound and westbound bridges over the Wateree River, traffic is being detoured through Camden, South Carolina, approximately 2 miles north of the project area.
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“Running the interstate traffic through a small town like Camden is very inconvenient for drivers and causes long delays,” Fulmer said. It also impacts the quality of life for Camden residents.
When the project is complete, there will be one I-20 bridge over the Wateree River. The single four-lane bridge consists of 11 spans and measures 1,515 feet. The design-build approach, with HDR as lead designer and Lane as general contractor, gave the companies the flexibility to incorporate these changes and bring innovation to the project.
“We put out the standards and let the [design-build] team do their job,” Fulmer said. “Converting it into a single bridge means less staging and a quicker turnaround than building two separate bridges.”
“We’re delivering this bridge in two stages rather than three, which accelerates the overall schedule,” Lane Project Director Eric Pruemer said.
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By staying within the existing interstate alignment, the structure avoids new right of way needs while still allowing for future widening within the original corridor footprint.
This addresses the challenge of working within the existing right of way, as the area is small. All bridge locations fall within a 2-mile stretch, with less than half a mile separating several of them. The challenge was particularly acute during the early stages of the project.
“We had to utilize a very steep slope and lane closures to move the crew, equipment, and supplies in and out of the area,” Fulmer said.
“The initial phase required construction within the median between the two existing bridges, an area with extremely limited room for equipment and operations,” Pruemer added.
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The specialized equipment enhanced safety and efficiency, along with helping the team accomplish their work in a limited space.
“To work within the narrow space between the existing structures, we utilized two Link-Belt TCC-2500 Telescopic Crawler Cranes,” Pruemer said. “Their compact design allowed the team to work effectively where conventional lattice boom cranes would have interfered with the existing bridges.”
The Wateree River, which is about 75 miles long, is an offshoot of the Catawba River in North Carolina and is prone to flooding. During the project, there have been multiple high-water events, including three in 2024. One event was due to Hurricane Helene, where the surge surpassed the 100-year flood elevation.
“Each event temporarily submerged the work zone under more than 20 feet of fast-moving water,” Pruemer said. “We proactively demobilized and secured equipment and materials before each event and maintained continuous monitoring of water conditions.”
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After each event, Lane and SCDOT worked together to accelerate remobilization and protect the schedule.
“Despite the challenges, the team has maintained progress by advancing superstructure work and rehabilitation activities during periods when water levels restricted access below the deck,” Pruemer said.
To deal with the typical change in water level, the team is working on a temporary steel trestle.
“Due to significant daily water level fluctuations and environmental permit restrictions that prohibited a rock causeway, we work on the trestle,” Pruemer said. “A floating fleet would have been impractical and less reliable under these conditions.”
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Another challenge the team has faced is ensuring it monitors existing structures for early signs of distress. The attention has led to significantly reduced emergency repair needs and to the preservation of contingency funds.
“Only 10 percent of the maintenance contingency has been required, and major unforeseen expenditures are not anticipated as the westbound bridge is already removed and the eastbound bridge will be removed from service in early summer 2026,” Pruemer said.
Construction on the project began in winter 2023 and was scheduled to conclude in fall 2027. According to Pruemer at the time of this writing, the project is three months ahead of schedule and is expected to continue gaining float through 2026.
“We expect to shift traffic entirely onto the new Wateree River bridge in summer 2026, with overall project completion anticipated in early 2027,” Pruemer said. “This represents a significant improvement over the original schedule.”
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Fulmer believes the team is ahead of schedule for a few reasons.
“We regularly coordinate with Lane, and they’ve found some alternative ways to address issues,” he said. “In addition, the contract and schedule were reasonable from the start.”
Fulmer added that a good contractor partnership is the No. 1 element, and Lane has a very good management team.
The construction budget for the project is $96 million, and it is tracking under budget, with just over 2 percent overrun currently projected. The project is being funded by a mix of state and federal funds.
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Pruemer suggested that the team has accomplished these results due to “early identification and resolution of potential issues, combined with an open, collaborative partnership with SCDOT and experienced trade partners.” He said this has minimized rework, supported efficient scheduling, and protected the project’s financial performance.
Having an experienced design-build team like Lane and HDR is also a major factor in the project’s success. Both firms also have deep roots in the Carolinas.
Lane self-performed the rehabilitation work to maintain consistent staffing levels, thereby avoiding repeated mobilization and demobilization. The approach strengthened productivity and project continuity, which has been a boon for the budget and schedule.
When the project is complete, SCDOT crews and the driving public will see the end of persistent delays caused by emergency deck patching and other maintenance on old structures. Instead, motorists will have a new bridge that provides improved safety and reliability.
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- Owner: South Carolina Department of Transportation
- General Contractor: Lane Construction, Cheshire, Connecticut
- Designer: HDR, Omaha, Nebraska
