SCDOT signs biggest road project contract in over a decade

The South Carolina Department of Transportation has signed its biggest contract for a state road project in more than a decade. SCDOT will use its $231 million contract to improve the interchange of Interstates 85 and 385 in Greenville to Flatiron-Zachry Joint Venture.

The project will be the state’s largest since 2001 when it spent $631 million on construction of the Ravenel Bridge linking Mount Pleasant and Charleston.

Although no start date has been set, the Greenville project will make life easier for drivers by eliminating tight loops that go from one interstate to the other and increase the number of lanes on I-385. Once construction begins, it will take roughly two years and 10 months to complete.

SCDOT reports the I-85 and I-385 interchange is the third busiest in South Carolina, serving an estimated 194,000 vehicles per day.

In 2011, South Carolina picked up American Transportation Award’s for road projects. With any luck, the state’s current project will get recognized as a success someday too.