Russell Street traffic limited; Edisto bridge work behind schedule

“Russell Street is closed as a part of the U.S. 301 bridge replacement project,” S.C. Department of Transportation Director of Public Engagement Kelly Moore said.

“The final configuration of the intersection will change slightly to better accommodate pedestrian traffic and vehicle traffic coming off of Russell Street. U.S. 301 southbound will have a dedicated acceleration lane,” Moore said.

Under the temporary configuration, vehicles traveling north on U.S. Highway 301 can’t turn left onto Russell Street. Instead, drivers can continue to the light and turn onto Riverside Drive.

Vehicles on Russell Street are also unable to cross over U.S. 301 onto Andrew Dibble Street.

Traffic heading south on U.S. 301 can still take a right onto Russell Street. Vehicles traveling on Russell Street can still merge onto U.S. 301 south.

“This is a temporary closure during the construction work and is expected to be in place for 12 to 18 months,” Moore said. “We encourage drivers to use the signed detour route and to plan in advance if they are traveling through the area.”

The project will not impact nearby properties, Moore said.

As far as the bridge itself, Moore said the work “is moving forward.”

“The schedule has been slightly delayed … with the current anticipated completion date in early 2026,” Moore said. The previous targeted completion date was December 2025.

The most recent work on the bridge included the installation of beams on the bridge over the river.

The $30.3 million bridge replacement project began in the spring of this year.

Great Falls-based United Infrastructure Group is the general contractor for the project.

In addition to the main bridge over the river, the swamp river bridge, or the overflow bridge, will be replaced.

According to the SCDOT, the purpose of the project is to eliminate structural deficiencies of the existing bridge and to improve traffic flow and safety.

Two lanes of traffic in both directions and pedestrian access will be maintained during construction.

The U.S. 301 river bridge was built in 1922 and the overflow bridge was built in 1954. Traffic on the bridges is expected to reach more than 30,000 vehicles a day by 2040.