Travel between Orangeburg and St. Matthews, SC, will become faster and easier in 2003, when the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and U.S. Group Inc. complete a $15.1-million road widening project on U.S. Highway 601.
The work will transform the main roadway linking the seats of Orangeburg and Calhoun counties from a rural two-lane highway to a five-lane roadway with four traffic lanes and a center turn lane, which will better serve the needs of area residents.
“U.S. Group will widen 6.4 mi. of Highway 601 from two to four lanes, beginning at Interstate 26 in Orangeburg County and extending just beyond U.S. Highway 176 in Calhoun County,” said Jim Porth, SCDOT’s District construction engineer for the area.
SCDOT undertook the project as part of its department’s “27 in 7” initiative, which has a goal of completing 27 years of road and bridge projects in just seven years. The department engineered the project at its Columbia headquarters and Fluor Daniel serves as the primary construction resource manager. Davis & Floyd serves as Fluor Daniel’s subcontractor for the project, providing the necessary field inspection work.
After completing the engineering and right-of-way acquisition, SCDOT awarded the contract for the Highway 601 construction to U.S. Group Inc. in July 2000. Work began in late October of the same year.
U.S. Group Inc. began the project by clearing and grubbing the new right of way. In addition to removing hundreds of trees along the roadway, the company had to relocate several signs and fences.
“We acquired the majority of the items that we would once have considered moving items when we acquired the right of way,” Porth said. “That significantly reduced the work load for U.S. Group Inc. and allowed them to make better progress. This project was one of the first times we took that approach in this area, and it worked very well.”
The company also worked closely with area utilities on relocating power, telephone and cable lines. Representatives of SCDOT, U.S. Group, BellSouth, Alltel, Tri-County Electric Cooperative, South Carolina Electric & Gas, and Time Warner met each week throughout the project to minimize potential conflicts and ensure that everyone’s work went according to plan.
In addition, U.S. Group Inc. had to install erosion control measures at several places within the work zone to protect sensitive wetland areas. Fortunately, weather patterns assisted the company in protecting environmental areas, with relatively little rain falling as work progressed on the adjacent roadways.
“I grew up in St. Matthews and the wetland areas in the work zone are drier than they have been at any time during my life,” Porth said. “But we have effective erosion control measures in place for the rare case of significant rainfall.”
Of course, the dry weather did have other consequences. Most notably, U.S. Group Inc. had to haul more water for dust control than it originally expected. Fortunately, the company found a pond owner near the U.S. Group Inc. roadway who was more than willing to supply the necessary water.
After clearing and grubbing the right of way, U.S. Group Inc. began preparing new traffic lanes. In all, the company will have excavated more than 180,000 cu. yds. (137,620 cu m) of earth and moved 36,000 cu. yds. (27,524 cu m) of overhaul by the time it completes the project. The new road bed also will require more than 5,000- tons (4,536 t) rip rap and 205,000 sq. yds. (171,406 sq m) of aggregate base. In a few areas, U.S. Group called in Site Prep of Orangeburg to stabilize marginal soil beneath the road bed with soil cement, as well.
To tackle the grading and base-building portions of the project, U.S. Group Inc. deployed a variety of Caterpillar equipment. The fleet assigned to the project included two Caterpillar 12H motorgraders, a CS-563-C smooth drum roller, a CS-563-C sheepsfoot drum roller, a CP-433C roller, a 615C scraper, a 623C scraper, a 320B excavator, a 930 loader, a D4C dozer and a 426B loader backhoe. The company also utilized a Gradall XL 4100, a John Deere 2355 tractor with a broom attachment, and an Ingersoll-Rand 100 roller. Equipment operators utilized laser systems by Spectrum and Top Con to maximize the precision of their work.
U.S. Group Inc. used much of this equipment while installing Highway 601’s extensive new drainage system, as well. By the time the company completes the project, it will have installed more than 22,000 linear ft. (6,706 m) of storm drain pipes. For the most part, the drainage pipe ranges from 15 to 36 in. (38 to 91 cm) in diameter, although crews have installed 60-in. (152 cm) pipes in some areas.
In the majority of locations, the company had the luxury of simply digging trenches, laying pipe and backfilling. In one place, though, workers had to bore a pipeline beneath an adjacent railway. In several other areas, U.S. Group Inc. had to cut cross lines through the existing roadway, which resulted in lane closures and the use of flagmen to assist with traffic control.
“Closing lanes and controlling traffic in those locations proved to be one of the biggest challenges associated with the project,” Porth said. “When you’re working in rural areas, you always have to worry about drivers approaching the construction zone at or above the speed limit.”
One such motorist collided with the U.S. Group’s broom tractor, knocking off one of the rear wheels and injuring the operator. But the most bizarre incident that took place during the project involved a motor scooter rider who tried to skirt stopped traffic and ended up riding straight into a trench crews had cut in the roadway to install a drainage pipe.
Despite some apparent minor injuries, the man emerged from the trench insisting that he didn’t need medical attention. Then, as he wiped off his face with his shirt tail, workers and motorists noticed that the man had two handguns protruding from the waistline of his pants.
Sensing trouble, a motorist called 911 without the man noticing. When emergency medical personnel and law enforcement officials arrived on the scene a few minutes later, the man ran off into the woods.
The ensuing chase lasted several hours and effectively halted work on the road for the rest of the day. At one point, a witness spotted the fugitive near U.S. Group’s office trailer and someone began spreading a rumor that the fleeing man had taken the company’s chief surveyor hostage. Although that rumor proved false, sheriff’s deputies did eventually apprehend the fugitive just outside the fence surrounding the company’s trailer. A subsequent search of the scooter revealed a sizeable quantity of illegal drugs hidden beneath the seat.
Despite this unwanted excitement, U.S. Group Inc. has made tremendous progress on the road widening project. The company has already completed the vast majority of work involved in building the new drainage system and road base. Its paving subcontractor, Rea Construction also has finished putting down several miles of the new asphalt driving surface.
By the time it finishes the job, U.S. Group Inc. will have put down more than 92,000 sq. yds. (76,924 sq m) of aggregate base course, more than 41,000 tons (37,195 t) of type 1 asphalt binder, and more than 24,000 tons (21,772 t) of type 1C asphalt surfacing. To complete this work, Rea Construction utilized an Etnyre spreader, a Cedarapids 461 paver, a Ferguson steel wheel roller, a Ferguson rubber tire roller and a Hamm vibratory roller.
One of the final hurdles for crews from Rea Construction and U.S. Group will come when they reach the intersection of Highway 601 and Highway 176. Because the latter is a designated hurricane evacuation route, workers must be prepared to get the intersection ready for traffic on short notice if a hurricane should threaten the South Carolina coast.
“There is about a 2-ft. change from the existing grade to the finish grade,” Porth said. “So getting the road ready for traffic will involve more than simply moving equipment out of traffic lane. Workers will have to make sure the surface of the intersection where the Highway 176 evacuation route crosses Highway 601 is safe for travelers.
“The target completion date for the project is August 31, 2003, but we anticipate finishing 10 to 15 percent ahead of schedule,” he noted. At this point, he added, “The U.S. Group expects to complete work by early in the spring of 2003.
“The work is very straightforward and, overall, the project has gone very smoothly,” Porth said. “Both the driving public and the people who own property adjacent to the roadway believe that, when U.S. Group Inc. completes their work, Highway 601 will serve their needs better than ever before.”
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