Site work and paving for a road / highway in Yemassee, South Carolina. Completed plans call for site work for a one-story above grade road / highway; and for paving for a road / highway.

https://www.thestate.com/news/state/south-carolina/article313557146.html Hardeeville’s Exit 5 and Hilton Head Island’s Exit 8 are being reconfigured as part of the most expensive contract in the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s history, SCDOT is undertaking the herculean task of widening Interstate 95, the major east coast roadway shuffling drivers between Maine and Miami. The interstate will widen from two to three lanes in a $825 million project expected to be completed by 2030. The scope will extend from the Savannah River northward to approximately one mile beyond the U.S. 278 interchange to Hilton Head Island. Fourteen bridges will be replaced, and the Exit 8 interchange will be reconfigured into a new, increasingly popular type of roadway designed to keep traffic flowing and reduce collisions. The upgrades are designed to reduce bottlenecks through the Hardeeville zone, currently one of the worst rural interstates for freight mobility, a 2021 SCDOT I-95 feasibility report found. In the short-term, however, more traffic headaches are possible. Craig Winn, the SCDOT Program Manager for the Lowcountry, said the current two lanes of traffic will be kept open — at least during peak hours. “We do lane closures a little bit differently than other states. We do have restrictions on our primary routes, our interstate systems, where there’s only certain periods of time where the contractors can actually close lanes down,” Winn said. Three newly constructed logistics centers can be seen along Interstate 95 southbound at Exit 5, the U.S. 17 interchange on June 6, 2025, in Hardeeville, located in Jasper County. As part of S DOT’s widening of Interstate 95, plans call for traffic signals and a new frontage road pushed further away from the heavily traveled interchange. Drew Martin dmartin@islandpacket.com A new type of interchange Hilton Head’s Exit 8 is being reconfigured into what is called a “diverging diamond interchange,” which looks a bit like shoelaces tied into several knots. Although they might look complex from a birds-eye view, SCDOT said diverging diamonds can be a “game changer” for high-traffic areas. A look at the U.S. 278 overpass over I-95 photographed on June 6, 2025, in Jasper County. The S.C. Department of Transportation is going to rework this exit into a diverging diamond interchange that improves safety by eliminating left turns in front of oncoming traffic. Drew Martin dmartin@islandpacket.com This new-style intersection improves traffic flow by eliminating the need for drivers to make left turns across oncoming traffic. Instead, it temporarily shifts drivers in both directions to the opposite sides of the road. Clear signage, pavement markings and traffic signals help guide drivers through the roadway. “Over the past few years, multiple interchanges throughout the state have been converted to DDIs and helped to reduce conflict points with crossing traffic,” SCDOT said in a Facebook post. Once the project is finished, a driver leaving Hilton Head on U.S. 278 going to I-95 southbound will approach a traffic light. When the light is green, the driver will cross the intersection and be in what would conventionally be the eastbound lanes. The driver can then make a left turn directly onto the I-95 southbound on-ramp. Similarly, eastbound U.S. 278 traffic, on a green light, will cross over to the westbound lanes and merge onto northbound I-95, eliminating the need for separate left-turn signals. Drivers who want to remain traveling east or west on U.S. 278 will encounter another traffic signal. If the light is green, they will be funneled back to what is considered the “normal” side of the highway. The Exit 8 project also involves eliminating the intersection at Medical Center Drive, which provides access to hotels, restaurants and Novant Health’s Coastal Carolina Medical Center. SCDOTs plans show the intersection will be moved approximately one-fifth of a mile to Dolnik Drive. A traffic circle will be built where this new road connects to Brickyard Road, allowing drivers to head west, looping back to the shops, hotels and hospital and apartments currently under construction. At Purrysburg Road just over the state border with Georgia, the city of Hardeeville will build a new interchange with I-95, Exit 3. In a September interview, SCDOTs Winn said he did not have a build date, but was expecting to seek bids at the end of the year. SCDOT plans show that Exit 3 will also likely be a DDI. Plans for Hardeeville’s Exit 5 Hardeeville, which has experienced growth as a major shipping and logistics hub, will see some modifications to Exit 5. SCDOT plans to change the off-ramps from the interstate so that they end at a traffic signal, instead of forcing drivers to yield to traffic from U.S. 17. A new frontage road connecting to U.S. 17 will also be built farther away from the interchange, plans show. The road will direct traffic behind gas stations, restaurants and fireworks stores. Hardeeville’s growth is driven by the area’s proximity to the Savannah Ports, I-95 and rail lines. Millions of square feet of logistics and manufacturing space are quickly appearing along the U.S. 17 corridor; the South Atlantic Logistics Terminal alone will span over 800 acres and is planned to include as much as 6 million square feet of warehouse and industrial space upon completion, breaking ground in November 2024. More large fulfillment centers means more truck traffic, and the new traffic signals are designed to offer some relief. ------------------------------------------------------ Hampton County, South Carolina requests proposals from qualified professional firms experienced in providing engineering, project management, permitting, design and construction of high mast light poles for interstate lighting at Interstate 95, Exit 38. The work may include: review of the existing interchange layout and lighting; complete design including survey, geotechnical, structural, civil, and electrical; photometric plan per SCDOT and/or FHWA requirements using specified LED lights; coordination with Dominion Energy SC for electrical service; coordination with the Town of Yemassee for permits; preparation of SCDOT encroachment permit exhibits and application; coordination and permitting with SCDES for NPDES coverage; providing construction estimates for installation and post construction costs; as-built documentation; permit closeout; completion and submission of warranty paperwork and a project turn-over package; and, upon request, preparation of construction bids, solicitation of construction proposals, and estimates for supervision and construction assurances. The County seeks a firm capable of coordinating all aspects of the scope and serving as the single source of information for the project. The County currently has approximately $400,000 Q/A - September 26 Deadline for submitting questions. All questions must be submitted in writing to Christopher Inglese, 201 Jackson Ave. West, or cinglese@hamptoncountysc.org, by 5:00 P.M., E.D.T. Hampton County is soliciting proposals from qualified firms experienced in providing design, permitting, project management and construction estimates for HMLP lights at Interstate 95, Exit 38 South Carolina. The project's intent is to provide a high quality, fully functional lighting plan at the interchange. Work may include, but is not limited to, the following tasks: Specific tasks in the scope of work include: 1. Review of existing interchange layout and lighting. 2. Complete design (i.e. survey, geotech, structural, civil, electrical, etc.) and layout of HMLP. 3. Photometric plan per SCDOT and/or FHWA requirements. Utilize LED 4000-5000K lights with a minimum five-year warranty. 4. All coordination with Dominion Energy SC for meter(s) and electrical service(s) to new poles. 5. All coordination with the Town of Yemassee for any necessary permit or license. 6. Preparation of all necessary exhibits for SCDOT encroachment permit. 7. Complete and submit on-line SCDOT encroachment permit application. 8. Coordination and if necessary, permitting with SCDES for construction NPDES coverage. 9. Provide construction estimates for installation of HMLP lighting per the approved design and cost estimates for post construction operations of the lights. 10. Provide as-built documentation new below and above ground items. 11. Close out SCDOT and SCDES permit 12. Complete and submit any warranty paperwork and provide a complete turn-over package to Hampton County. 13. Upon request, prepare construction bids and solicit proposals for construction/installation. 14. Upon request, estimates for supervision of contractor and construction assurances. *The list of planholders and/or interested bidders is not being tracked by the stakeholders involved with this project. If you are an interested contractor and wish to be listed as a bidder, please notify our editorial staff at addtobidlist@constructconnect.com.