GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – South Carolina Department of Transportation rolled out plans to repair the East Butler Road bridge over I-385 in Mauldin.
Road leaders rolled out the project during a community meeting in Simpsonville.
Officials said repairs will lift current load restrictions for heavy vehicles, make the bridge safer, and keep traffic moving along the busy connector that carries 25,000 drivers through Mauldin every day.
Right now, the bridge can’t handle large trucks, but this project will change that.
“For freight vehicles, for instance, like construction vehicles, U-Hauls, box trucks, moving vans, those sorts of things, they can’t go the route they had chosen if there’s a load restriction,” Ginny Jones with SCDOT explained.
This project is part of a statewide push to fix load-restricted bridges.
FOX Carolina has been reporting on this issue for months.
There are more than 700 bridges with restrictions across the state and many of them in the Upstate.
SCDOT said engineers are working to get ahead of the problems before more bridges are beyond repair.
“This program is a great use of our assets, using funding to further the life of an existing bridge,” Jones said. “What we’re doing is making major repairs to it next summer.”
The project will cause some delays, with lane closures expected for about 45 days during construction.
Richard Rowe, who lives nearby, said he came to the meeting to learn more about traffic impacts.
He’s concerned with the timing, since a new 10,000-seat soccer stadium is set to open around the same time at BridgeWay Station.
“I think it’s going to add to the traffic and congestion madness,” Rowe said. “You’re going to have the same amount of traffic trying to get to an event at the stadium, but they don’t have very many choices to get there.”
Still, Rowe said he believes the long-term benefits will outweigh the temporary inconveniences.
“I think the detour is logical though, and I think the impact will be minimal,” Rowe said.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026 and will take about four months to complete.
For now, SCDOT is asking for community feedback. You can share your comments through October 21.
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