The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has won a regional transportation award for innovative technology used in the US 21 over Harbor River Bridge Replacement Project in Beaufort County. 

"We are extremely honored to accept this award that is an example of some of the great work by SCDOT," South Carolina Secretary of Transportation Christy A. Hall said. "SCDOT continues to lead the way in innovation for both operations and project designs." 

Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the America's Transportation Awards competition was created to showcase the tremendous projects delivered by state departments of transportation every year to tell the broader story on the importance of transportation. SCODT won in the "Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Medium Project" category 

SCDOT's winning project consisted of a 3,353-foot long fixed-span Harbor River bridge to provide uninterrupted access for shrimping and sailing vessels along the river below as well as improved safety for motorists. The new bridge replaced a swing-span bridge that was deteriorating and required on-going repairs and maintenance.  

To keep the road open during construction and to minimize environmental impacts, the SCDOT project team used an innovative construction-staging scheme, which involved using connectable barges to create a wide access road across the salt marsh and open water.  

The barges created little or no impacts to the salt marshes, oyster banks or essential fish habitats and helped reduce the overall time to build and open the new bridge.  

As a regional winner, SCDOT's project will be considered for the competition's "Top 12," which will be announced Sept. 7. These 12 projects compete for two top prizes-the Grand Prize, chosen by an independent panel of judges, and the People's Choice Award, which is determined by the public through on line voting. Both carry a $10,000 cash prize to support a transportation-related scholarship or charitable cause and will be announced in October.  

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