SCDOT plans road repairs; Bamberg, Calhoun Orangeburg routes to get pavement

The S.C. Department of Transportation is planning improvements to several roads in Bamberg, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties next year.

Several miles of U.S. Highway 301 (Bamberg Road), S.C. 394 (Salley Road), S.C. 64 (Low Country Highway) and S.C. 6 (Bridge Street/Old Number Six Highway) are slated for improvements as part of SCDOT’s Pavement Improvement Program.

The largest paving project scheduled for Orangeburg County includes about 9.14 miles of Bamberg Road. The project runs from the Bamberg County line to .07 miles north of Legrand Smoak Street.

About 7.12 miles of Salley Road are also scheduled to be paved. The project runs from about .07 miles east of Whetstone Road to U.S. 178 (North Road).

In Bamberg County, about 8.44 miles of Low Country Highway Road are scheduled for work. The project runs from U.S. 301 (Main Highway) to Pocketville.

In Calhoun County, about 9.47 miles of S.C. 6 Bridge Street/Old Number Six Highway are scheduled to be paved. The project runs from .02 miles west of Smoak Street to S.C. 33 (Cameron Road).

The roads will either be rehabilitated or reconstructed.

Rehabilitation includes grinding the road down to a smooth surface with new asphalt finishing the project.

Reconstruction means there is damage throughout the pavement, not just on the surface. The pavement must be totally removed down to the soil, meaning the roadway must be rebuilt, according to SCDOT.

The SCDOT’s Commission approved the work in May as part of the statewide 2024 Pavement Improvement Program.

The new roads add $775 million to the previously invested $2.8 billion in pavement improvements across the state of South Carolina since the strategic 10-year plan was implemented.

This is the seventh year of an accelerated pavement improvement program. It adds another 877 miles of roadway to the more than 8,000 miles of ongoing road work.

The agency’s strategic 10-year plan was implemented after a significant increase in funding provided by the General Assembly in the 2017 roads bill.