South Carolina Construction News staff writer
South Carolina officials have broken ground on an $825 million effort to widen Interstate 95 through Jasper County.
A groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of a 10-mile (16-kilometre) project to expand the highway to three lanes in each direction and replace the bridges over the Savannah River at the Georgia state line — a long-standing bottleneck that frequently slows traffic.
The project, undertaken in partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation, will also modernize interchanges, upgrade 14 other bridges, and improve drainage along the corridor.
A joint venture of Ferrovial and Webber holds the $729 million construction contract, with work scheduled for completion by 2030.
Gov. Henry McMaster said the widening will support both residents and businesses as the state continues to grow.
“Interstates like I-95 are essential to both daily life and long-term economic strength,” McMaster said. “That’s why we’re making transformative investments in our interstate system statewide.”
Transportation Secretary Justin Powell said the project is central to SCDOT’s goal of improving efficiency and safety. “This long-awaited project is the embodiment of our interstate program,” Powell said.
The I-95 widening is part of a broader surge in highway work across South Carolina, funded in part by a 2017 gas tax increase and federal support. Crews are also working on a $2-billion project to redesign the congested junction of Interstates 20, 26 and 126 in Columbia. Another program will expand 70 miles (113 kilometres) of I-26 from Charleston to Columbia to three lanes in each direction. And in Charleston, the state plans to reconstruct the I-526 half-loop at a cost that could reach $7 billion.
Officials say these projects are designed to prepare South Carolina’s interstate network for decades of population and freight growth while easing congestion for daily commuters.
More information on the project can be found on the project website.
