ELGIN, S.C. — On March 8, 2022, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) closed the bridge located on Wildwood Lane in Elgin, forcing residents to take an over one-mile detour.
Elgin resident Tim Taylor wanted to know when the bridge would be fixed. "I do want to say again, I know it's a first world problem, but it's still a problem and the road's cut off."
Taylor wasn't alone. Linda Kincaid lives right in front of the signs that read 'Road Closed.' "I just would like to know when they are going to fix it," Kincaid said. "I mean, you have to be curious about that."
As residents prepare for another month of detours, Leland Colvin with SCDOT says they are working on getting the road back open.
"We had an inspection on March 8, and we had some settlement issues at the foundation, so as a result of that inspection, we closed the bridge for safety concerns," Colvin said. "When we closed the bridge, as we vetted to see if there was a repair for it, and we found at this point it's past its useful life."
Colvin said that means instead of repairing the bridge, it will be replaced with a new one. "It will go into construction in the next 12 months," Colvin said.