Light flickers at end of Parkway
It has been a long time in coming, but the completion of Palmetto Parkway is in sight.
A group of 36 members of the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce were able to witness the ongoing progress of Phase 2 of the Parkway as well as to hear about the many unique features of the road during a Chamber-sponsored tour last Friday morning.
Known as the Bobby Jones Expressway on the Georgia side, Palmetto Parkway - or I-520 - was conceived in the late 1960s but construction was not begun until 2000, according to North Augusta Director of Economic and Community Development Skip Grkovic. He detailed some of the history, explaining the environmental impact statement was completed in 1979 but there was no real discussion of the South Carolina portion of the road until 1999. At that time, the Federal Highway Administration agreed to fund the last segment of the Georgia roadway only if work had begun to acquire the rights of way on the South Carolina side.
In addition to Grkovic, heading up the tour was also Alan Wertz with Team United, the construction company that built Phase 1 and is now building Phase 2 of the Palmetto Parkway - a total of six miles from the river to I-20. As the "tourists" traveled on provided buses, Wertz pointed out some of the features of the road and the efforts to complete the job ahead of schedule.
Some of the features Wertz pointed out include a paved road connecting the two sides of the Hippodrome property (under the Parkway), a multiuse path (part of the North Augusta Greeneway) that parallels the new road, texturized concrete (which makes for a smoother ride and lasts longer than regular concrete), realignment of 10 roads and 12 bridges (four of them twin bridges).
Wertz noted the road is a relatively new design with 8 inches of compacted stone, followed by 2 inches of asphalt and then 11 inches of concrete.
Wertz pointed out some of the terrain issues that have been overcome. He noted that any construction job of this magnitude has two big risks - safety and environment. The area of the Palmetto Parkway has numerous elevation changes that have proved challenging (requiring the shifting of 5 million cubic yards of dirt), along with numerous wetlands to be considered.
He also noted that by "batching" the concrete on site, the workers were able to lay half a mile of concrete in 12 hours.
Wertz explained the project was a "design build," which allows for some decisions to be made as the project moves forward. As a result, the contractor is, so far, coming in under budget and ahead of schedule.
"Design build gives us the opportunity to figure out the best value for everybody," he said.
Grkovic agreed. "On Phase 1, they saved $10 million and finished four months ahead of schedule," he said.
The City director explained the roadway was made possible in large measure because of the creation of the S.C. Infrastructure Bank, which was formed originally to provide support for five major projects throughout the state - one of which was I-520. That was in 1997, but nothing had happened in Aiken County until 2000. At that time, North Augusta joined forces with Aiken County and others to work toward finding the funding for the road. County residents approved a 1-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax in 2000 that served as the required match for funds allocated by the Infrastructure Bank. "In 2001, $65 million was allocated with a promise of $95 million for Phase II," Grkovic said.
Wertz and Grkovic acknowledged that on Phase 2, a number of items had been left out of the original contract but were able to be added back when the Infrastructure Bank committed more money to the project - first $30 million and then another $18 million.
The total cost is listed at $257 million for both phases, Grkovic said, suggesting that the Palmetto Parkway may be the first interstate in the country to have a Greeneway as part of the project.
The completed project will afford the areas around it better potential for commercial development, Grkovic said, pointing particularly to the exchange at Highway 25. There are exits at U.S. 1 (Exit 17), at the Belvedere/Clearwater Road (Exit 21), at Highway 25 (Exit 22) and at I-20. The contractor built a connector road to Highway 25 from Ascauga Lake Road and reworked the interchange that had been Exit 5 on I-20. Now the exit where the Parkway meets I-20 will be Exit 6.
The project is well on its way now, with most of the paving completed, the bridges built and the end in sight.
"We hope to open in October," said Wertz, whose company's contracted completion date is Dec. 31.
