Getting Answers: Work on HWY 417 bridge to begin next month

MOORE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The South Carolina Department of Transportation shutdown a Spartanburg County bridge five months ago for repairs, but work still hasn’t started.

Viewer Kathy Pearson wrote into Fox Carolina News asking our Getting Answers team to find out why. Pearson said the bridge was closed in March and the only detour around it is about 10 miles.

We reached out to SCDOT spokesperson Pete Poore. He said the bridge was closed after an inspection in March revealed issues.

They’ve been wanting to make the repairs, which total $500,000, but haven’t had the funding until now.

Poore said they will end the bidding process at the end of the week and work should begin early next month.

There are about 500 bridges in the state labeled as “structurally deficient,” according to an annual federal report by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.

The report also found there are about 2,000 bridges in the state that require some level of repairs, which are estimated to cost $2 billion.

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