The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has awarded a $22.8-million contract to Morgan Corp. for construction of Phase 1 of the J. Verne Smith Parkway in Spartanburg County, SC. The project is located in upstate South Carolina between Greenville and Spartanburg, outside the city limits of Greer, SC. Work on the brand new highway, which will be state route SC 80, extends 3.5 mi. (5.6 km) from U.S. 29 to SC 101.
The contract for Phase 1 includes new construction of a four-lane divided highway and three steel girder bridges, all with concrete decks. One bridge will be built over the Tyger River and another will be built over a CSX railroad line. The third bridge involved in the contract will be a single bridge to span both highway 290 and a Norfolk Southern railroad line. Crowder Construction Co. of Spartanburg is performing all bridgework.
Morgan Corp. has executed major earthwork since construction began in August. According to Tim Halligan, president of Morgan Corp., the company has performed 42 million cu. ft. (1.2 million cu m) of earth excavation, 6.3 million cu. ft. (181,000 cu m) of rock excavation, and 10.1 million cu. ft. (289,000 cu m) of borrow excavation. Morgan Corp. utilizes its own equipment on the job, including a Cat 631 scrapper, a Komatsu PC 1100 excavator, a Cat 330 excavator and Cat 773 heavy haul trucks.
The J. Verne Smith Parkway will be built as a concrete highway instead of the commonly used asphalt.
“Concrete is a good product to build roads with,” explained Cyril B. Busbee, district engineering administrator of SCDOT’s district 3. “Maintenance is supposed to be a little less using concrete.”
This contract is the first phase of several phases yet to be built for the parkway. The new parkway comes as a result of growth and expansion around the local BMW plant and the Greenville/Spartanburg International Airport. Additionally, the parkway will provide a bypass route around the city of Greer.
Construction of the new highway was initiated by the city of Greer and then transferred to SCDOT. Busbee explained that the city was initially going to proceed with the project.
“Later, the city requested the SCDOT to assume the responsibility, which we did,” said Busbee. “The money would have come from the same sources.”
Spartanburg, SC-based Morgan Corp. also has offices in Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA. The company performs heavy highway work, with an emphasis on grading, underground utilities, storm drain systems, sanitary sewer systems, and underground water lines. The company uses subcontractors for bridgework and paving.
The J. Verne Smith Parkway is scheduled for completion September 2002.
