NEWBERRY — A portion of College Street that has been closed for nearly a year and a half to repair the bridge over Scott’s Creek officially re-opened to the public on Thursday.

Matthew Shealy, resident construction engineer with the S.C. Department of Transportation, said that delays with relocating the water and sewer lines played a role in delaying the completion of the $1.8 million project.

“Relocating the water and sewer lines is what took the longest. Until the water and sewer lines were installed, we couldn’t do anything,” Shealy said.

The bridge was originally scheduled to be completed by May 31, but delays extended the intended completion date.

“With this project, the bridge work went quicker than we anticipated. The utility work is what took longer than we anticipated. We really appreciate people’s patience and understanding while we have been working to get this completed,” said Shealy.

Mayor Foster Senn was also pleased with the completion of the bridge and commended the SCDOT for a job well done.

“I think it turned out really nice and I think SCDOT did a really good job with it, and the bridge turned out really well. It took longer than everyone hoped for, but fortunately people were really patient and we appreciate that. Now it should last for many, many years,” said Senn.

The new bridge, Shealy said, will be much safer than the original bridge, which was built in 1930, with wider sidewalks and a structure that will hold up through any flooding. The bridge was built from concrete and rebar and has a classic style rail that will fit in nicely with historic downtown Newberry.

“The structure has been upgraded to be safer, especially for those walking on the sidewalk. The bridge should be just like it was before, but it will just look a lot nicer,” Shealy said.

Most bridges are designed to have a 50 year or longer lifespan and are typically designed to handle any traffic volume or trucks that may come through. The new bridge is not weight restricted. Thursday morning before re-opening the bridge, a final inspection was performed to find and correct any minor imperfections.

“Hopefully this is a quality product for everyone in the town and now that it is open, people can return to their normal traffic pattern and have easier access to businesses. We want to make sure we’re getting what we’re pay for so we inspect the bridge to correct any imperfections we may see,” said Shealy. “It took a little longer than we had anticipated, but I think it was a successful and good looking project that I think will be here for a long time. Lindsay Furniture’s parking lot was also repaved, but that was agreed upon by the contractor and The City. SCDOT was not involved with that part.”

Crowder Construction Company based out of Charlotte, N.C., completed the bridge work.

“Crowder Construction Company was very easy to deal with, they pay close attention to detail and make sure that they are putting out the best quality product,” said Shealy.

After nearly a year and a half of being closed to repair the bridge over Scott’s Creek, it has officially re-opened to the public.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Bridge.jpgAfter nearly a year and a half of being closed to repair the bridge over Scott’s Creek, it has officially re-opened to the public. Courtesy photo

The bridge will be much safer than the original, with wider sidewalks and the ability to withstand any flooding.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Bridge1.jpgThe bridge will be much safer than the original, with wider sidewalks and the ability to withstand any flooding. Kelly Duncan | The Newberry Observer
Relocating infrastructure caused delays

By Kelly Duncan

kduncan@s24514.p831.sites.pressdns.com

Reach Kelly Duncan at 803-768-3123 ext. 1868 or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.