Rimer Pond Road Delayed Until Fall
BLYTHEWOOD – Rimer Pond Road may be closed for construction until the first part of October, according to a construction update from Jason Fulmer, the S.C. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Project Manager for the construction.
Fulmer told The Voice earlier this month that everything was on schedule and that he thought the work would be finished and the road paved by Aug. 31, the scheduled completion date. On Tuesday, Fulmer said the date may be pushed back as late as October.
“We’re still waiting on some environmental permitting,” Fulmer said, “then we’ll be ready to start some of the preliminary work for paving on half the road.”
He said crews were still moving dirt on the other half.
“We hope to start on the (preliminary) paving work (Wednesday),” he said, “if we get some test results back in time and it doesn’t rain.”
Fulmer said the delays were primarily due to delayed utility construction, environmental permitting and other unforeseen problems, including subsurface water discovered under the roadway across from a large pond.
“When we started breaking ground, we discovered what appears to be a spring under the road, and that necessitated redesigning the whole system before work could progress,” Fulmer said.
“We’re trying to get the road open for the schools as soon as we can,” Fulmer said, “to help ease traffic congestion after school starts.”
The road was closed to through traffic on April 14 to realign a major curve on the road that has long been a high accident area. To accommodate moving sections of the curve as much as 50 feet from center line, DOT crews moved power, cable, gas and sewer lines. They also installed storm water pipes.
