Construction of a new bridge on Leaphart Road, over I-26 in West Columbia, started last Friday.

Leaphart Road has a heavy traffic volume. It is used as a route to Lexington 2’s Pineview Elementary School for buses and in the transport of students by cars.

SCDOT Resident Construction Engineer Robert Power said the existing bridge on Leaphart Road would remain in operation while the new bridge is being built. Construction time is from 20 months to two years. In addition to a new bridge, with higher clearance, utility lines are being relocated.

The new bridge on Leaphart Road will have three lanes. The bridge in place now has two lanes, and vehicles that are turning left off of the bridge often halt traffic flow. The new bridge will have a turning lane, Power said.

Replacement of the bridge is necessary due the current bridge’s structurally deficient condition.
The I-26 bridge on Rainbow Drive beside Springdale was closed Friday so that it can be replaced. It is scheduled to be closed for 20 months to two years. Click link: Rainbow Drive bridge over I-26 closed for replacement

Power said the Leaphart Road bridge has much more traffic volume than the Rainbow Drive bridge, so it is being left open. The bridge was closed temporarily in May after a truck hit the bridge. The new bridge will be higher than the existing bridge.

The work on the bridge is being done by Crowder Construction Co. The cost estimate for the Leaphart Road bridge replacement, by the SCDOT in 2012, was $7.8 million.