South Carolina DOT reopens roads and bridges ahead of schedule after historic floods

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) reopened more roads than expected by its self-imposed Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) deadline, after the hundreds of road closures resulting from the “1,000-year rainfall” in late September and early October.

At the peak of closures on Oct. 5, 541 roads and bridges were damaged enough to be closed on that day. SCDOT reopened 136 closures by Nov. 26, 12 more than the 124 it had projected by then.

“I want to congratulate the SCDOT team for its hard work and dedication,” says Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall.

“The entire SCDOT staff worked as one team to accomplish more than was expected during the past 45 days in the recovery process. The job is not yet done, but we’re getting close to the finish line. I’d like to thank the public for the patience demonstrated during this disaster as we work to make the damaged roads and bridges safe once again.”

As of Nov. 24, 44 roads and 26 bridges were still closed. In mid-October, SCDOT said that 82 closures would not be reopened until after Nov. 26.