GA, SC leaders break ground on record-breaking $825 million project on I-95

HARDEEVILLE, Sc. (WTOC) - Thousands of drivers going through I-95 will soon see it transformed into six lanes because of a record-breaking $825 million contract signed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

Georgia and South Carolina leaders were in Hardeeville today at the Welcome Center off the major interstate, packing together inside to celebrate the historic groundbreaking event.

For families and commercial trucks passing through, from Maine to Miami, improving safety and decreasing the amount of delays is the goal for widening I-95 from U.S. Highway 278 to the Savannah River, which is about 10 total miles of work.

“Construction is going to start at the end of August, so seeing earthwork happening. A lot of focus is going to be on the new bridge across the Savannah River,” said SCDOT Secretary Justin Powell.

The motto for this project is “Fix The Drive on 95″ and by doing so, leaders believe it will directly impact our economy when it’s said and done.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said, “Our economies are growing, we’re growing in very smart ways, we’re being very careful, and we hope that’s going to produce more and more surpluses so we can keep doing this all over the state because this is key to our future.”

He celebrated the collaboration between GDOT and SCDOT, but it isn’t new. He highlighted how they come together often to ensure all in this area are safely on the roadways.

The total cost for this project is $825 million, $728 million coming from state funds, including $116 from GDOT.

“I am right over that Savannah River, I know about that bottleneck right there,” said GDOT Board Chair Ann Purcell. “It’s a delight to be a small part of this in my perspective.”

South Carolina Speaker of the House of Representatives G. Murrell Smith, Jr. added, “I was going to watch the Gator Bowl, my beloved Gamecocks, and I spent four hours here on I-95 in traffic.”

They anticipate the historic project being completed in 2030.

“We appreciate South Carolina DOT’s leadership and the state of South Carolina for advancing this project, for getting rid of a bottleneck that exists at the border, and for our future prosperity along this corridor,” said GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry, P.E.

Georgia Speaker of the House of Representatives Jon Burns added the corridor shows the strength of southeast Georgia with thousands of commuters and millions of tons of goods being shipped across the world from the ports by way of I-95.

Speakers at Thursday’s event included SCDOT’s Governor’s At-Large Appointee Commissioners Thomas Rhodes III and J. Britt Blackwell.