KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — An important section of interstate has reopened after being shut down for roughly two days for emergency repairs.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation says workers repaired the westbound I-20 bridge over the Wateree River. After waiting for the concrete work to cure, officials confirmed around 5:30 p.m. that the bridge had reopened.
The westbound lanes of I-20 were closed when crews realized a section of the Wateree River Bridge had "settled," according to the state transportation agency. While crews worked to make the repairs, drivers had to find alternate routes or take the designated detour through the outer edge of Camden and back onto the interstate a couple of miles down the road. The reopening means those detours will no longer be necessary.
Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall thanked all who were involved in getting the bridge reopened in roughly 48 hours.
"I appreciate the hard work of our crews to expedite the repair work on this bridge and get it safely reopened for travel," she said. "I also want to thank the contractors and material suppliers that worked side by side with us to get this emergency work finished quickly."
Officials said the bridge is already on the list for rehabilitation and replacement, along with two other bridge spans along the corridor. SCDOT said the project is still moving forward, and information on upcoming bridge work will be shared as it becomes available.