A 30-mile detour will be required to avoid the work area
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) will close the bridge on Upper Three Runs Creek on US 278 on Monday February 20, 2012. This location is on the grounds of the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale Counties.
Crews will be working to cap off a boring hole currently under artesian pressure near the bridge. The leak occurred last Tuesday February 14, 2011 when soil samples were being taken at the bridge site for a future replacement project. Personnel on the site were unable to cap the water leak. However a pipe was installed to divert water away from the bridge.pilings and stabilize the situation.
Crews will place a permanent cap on the boring hole beginning at 9:00 a.m. Monday, February 20 and will continue until the cap is in place. The goal is to complete the work late Monday, but the detour may need to remain in effect into Tuesday or longer to protect the public and the bridge while the stabilization process is completed.
The detour that will be used to avoid the work site is as follows:
· Westbound traffic on US 278 will be detoured at the intersection of US 278 and SC 781.
· Motorists will travel northbound on SC 781 to US 78 westbound.
· From US 78, drivers will then take SC 118 westbound to SC 19 southbound.
· SC 19 will return drivers to US 278 westbound.
The detour for eastbound traffic is the reverse of the westbound detour:
· Drivers traveling eastbound on US 278 will be diverted onto SC 19 northbound..
· Traffic on SC 19 northbound will take SC 118 eastbound to US 78 eastbound.
· From US 78 eastbound, drivers will take SC 781 southbound back to US 278 eastbound.
SCDOT is monitoring the bridge on US 278 at Upper Three Runs Creek
24 hours a day to watch for any changes in the situation. SCDOT has begun coordination of the detour with the SC Highway Patrol, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Department and SRS Security.
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