BETHUNE, S.C. — A major bridge project has been under construction by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) heading into Bethune since 2019.
This past fall, the bridge on U.S. 1 opened, but construction cones and road closed signs still remain.
"I was used to traveling down the Youngs Bridge Road going on out on number one," resident Jeanette Banks said. "Now, I have to go out of my way back to Bethune hit Hwy. 1, and go to Camden."
She's not the only one who's felt the impact.
"Particularly just going all the way through town when we really didn't have to because we used to yield off coming straight from Camden, and now we can't yield off and we right here," Melissa Ponds said. "But now we have to go, that's a tank of gas, all the way back around and then come home."
So News19 asked SCDOT for an update on the project - specifically asking if Youngs Bridge Road would be reconnected and when the former bridge and road would be torn down.
The agency released the following statement:
"The only road closed associated with the U.S. 1 Bridge is Young’s Bridge Road. Young’s Bridge road connects U.S. 1 to 341. We are currently working on the final tie-in (it crosses the now-closed section of U.S. 1) to the new section of U.S. 1 on the new alignment. The tie-in should be completed by mid-January dependent upon weather. The old U.S. 1 roadway has been removed and bridge demolition will begin in December (dependent upon railroad approval). The project is currently on schedule to be completed late April of 2023."
Ponds and Banks said they were ecstatic to know their road would be reconnected and the project is continuing to move forward.
If you have questions about roadway projects near you, visit SCDOT's project website.