South Carolina Department of Transportation

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is accepting public comments through November 15 on the agency’s new Public Involvement Policy. SCDOT recognizes the importance of involving the public in transportation planning and project development, and the new draft policy outlines SCDOT's related guidelines and practices. To review the draft policy, submit a comment online, or learn more, visit https://lnkd.in/e3kWAyHD

Acting Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Kristin White visited the upstate with Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell and other officials to tour damage to roads and bridges in the area from Hurricane Helene. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eA2fgD8h

The South Carolina Department of Transportation continues to clear trees, reopen roadways and assist utility crews with their operations. As that wraps up, our attention turns to cleaning storm debris from the roadside. In the 16 counties with the most impacts from the storm, SCDOT has hired contractors to perform this work while maintenance crews in those counties remain focused on operations and restoring roads that were damaged in the storm. In other impacted areas, SCDOT maintenance crews will handle debris removal, and in many of those areas, these efforts are already underway. Contract pickup will begin next week to allow community members still recovering the storm time to clean up and pile debris from their property. Community members can learn more about how to safely pile storm debris on the side of the roadway to help speed up the cleanup process. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ei6i9RqG

Our crews continue to work side by side with utility crews and first responders to reopen roadways in South Carolina. Our first priority is opening roads and then we will shift our attention to removing storm debris from the side of the road. This has been a difficult time for many of our communities and we appreciate your patience as we recover together. Please continue to drive cautiously and give our crews room to work on the roads. 

SCDOT is continuing cleanup efforts across the state – we are working hard to clear the travel lanes and get South Carolinians moving again. As you travel, you may notice trees and debris piles along the roadway – as soon as we get roads open and people moving again, we will move on to cleaning up the storm debris left behind along the side of our roadways. This video shows an SCDOT crew in Greenwood County clearing a travel lane along U.S. 25. 

We are not slowing down on storm recovery. From the crews on the ground, to the employees working in our sign shop and emergency operations center, our workforce is fully focused on getting South Carolina back to normal. If you see our folks out on the road, please slow down and give them room to work. 

SCDOT crews are working around the clock alongside our utility and local partners to continue to clear trees across the state in areas impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. The heavy winds from the storm brought down thousands of trees, especially in the western parts of the state. Thank you for being patient and giving our crews room to work – we’re doing our best to recover the roadway system and get South Carolinians moving again. 

SCDOT crews in Pickens recently completed structural repairs on the Jones Mill Road Bridge. To prevent a full closure, maintenance and construction crews operated under daily lane closures only. 

Students are back in the classroom and that means more pedestrians to look out for on the roadways. Stay alert and pay attention to pedestrians. 

SCDOT crews are working to improve Main Street and Greene Street in Columbia. The project is geared at adding space for sidewalks and bike lanes.