(Columbia, SC) – Sixth District Congressman James E. Clyburn today announced the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $390,933 grant to help fund the cost of using new technology in the replacement of the Black River bridge on SC Highway 377 in Williamsburg County. The $390,933 federal grant has been awarded to the South Carolina Department of Transportation to purchase self consolidating concrete, a relatively new innovation. This will be the first time the material has been used for bridge construction in South Carolina.
"This grant will allow the South Carolina Department of Transportation to gain experience in designing and constructing bridges with this potentially valuable new material," Congressman Clyburn said. "And the residents of Williamsburg County will benefit from having a new state-of-the-art bridge."
This self consolidating concrete is expected to improve the long term durability and performance of this new construction. The funding has been allocated through the Innovative Bridge Research and Construction Program that was initially established under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
The project is located approximately four miles south of Kingstree. The bridge replacement is slated to begin in late 2005.
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