Back River Bridge contract expected Friday
COLUMBIA -- The construction contract to replace the Back River Bridge could be awarded Friday.
Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jill Nagel said Wednesday that officials are still reviewing the bids for the project, and that the offer typically goes to the lowest bidder. She did not have information about the number of construction companies that had applied for the contract.
The work is expected to take 24-30 months and will be kicked off by a notice to proceed, said Nagel.
"That becomes their construction site," she said. "We oversee it, but they start the project when they want. But they'd have a contract with a completion date, and that’s what we hold them to."
It’s largely Georgia’s project, but South Carolina officials are inviting the public to weigh in on plans to replace the nearly 60-year-old structure connecting Savannah and Jasper County.
The $14.7 million project assigns 10 percent of the construction costs to South Carolina. The original bridge, though deemed “structurally deficient” by regulators, is still considered safe and will remain in use until the new bridge is completed.
Meanwhile, anyone who intends to comment on the project has another chance this month. The South Carolina transportation agency posted on its website an April 12 deadline to do so. Georgia had a time period for the public to submit comments and attend an open house about two years ago, Nagel said.
Last year the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also invited public feedback.
At that time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service called for six measures to be taken to safeguard the endangered manatee. Among them: Construction workers should watch out for the 1,000-pound mammals from May 15-Oct. 15 and immediately shut down equipment if a manatee comes within 50 feet of the work site.
The new bridge will be located west of the original one and will stand 3 feet higher. There will be a southbound deceleration lane for the exit onto Hutchinson Island and a northbound deceleration lane for an access road on the east side of U.S. 17 in South Carolina.
Replacing the U.S. 17 bridge, which carries 19,000 vehicles daily, was approved by the S.C. Department of Transportation Commission in 2008 for inclusion in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
On Monday an accident injured several people and resulted in the hours-long closure of the Back River and Talmadge bridges.
On Wednesday, department spokesman Julian Miller said officials continue to investigate the three-vehicle accident, but added, “At no point was the bridge ever involved.”
How to send comments:
Comments will be accepted until the close of business on April 12.
They may be sent to Mark Pleasant, statewide planning chief at SCDOT, 955 Park St., P.O. Box 191, Columbia, SC 29202
Or to submit them electronically, go to : http://info.scdot.org/Internet/Pages/ContactUs_publiccomment_US17Bridge.aspx