In ‘largest contract ever’ SCDOT to start I-95 improvements from Savannah River to U.S. 278
How much will it cost to fix up the drive between the Savannah River and U.S. 278 on I-95?
About $825 million.
On Monday morning, the South Carolina Department of Transportation announced they had awarded the project to widen and improve corridor from one mile into Georgia at the Savannah River to approximately mile marker 9, just north of U.S. 278, according to a news release.
Described as the department’s largest ever contract, SCDOT, in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Transportation, intends to improve interchanges and bridges on the 10-mile corridor, including the new bridge over the Savannah River. The goal of the project is to reduce traffic delays and congestion on the interstate.
Groundbreaking for the project is anticipated to begin by this summer, with an estimated completion date of 2030.
Funding for the project comes from SCDOT’s Federal Interstate funds, State Rural Interstate funds and the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“I-95 at the Georgia border has long been a choke point for traffic heading between New York and Miami,” said Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell. The contract, he said, represents “a new day” to fix the drive for visitors and residents along the interstate.
In 2021, a feasibility report completed by SCDOT showed that this corridor ranks among the worst of the rural interstates in freight mobility. The 10-mile span, according to a 2024 presentation from the department, includes 14 bridges, two existing interchanges, Exits 5 and 8, and a new proposed interchange at Exit 3 that is being completed as a separate project by the Town of Hardeeville.
