Drivers concerned as College Park Road closures continue

LADSON, SC (WCSC) - The traffic nightmare will continue for drivers near the College Park Road overpass.

Officials with the South Carolina Department of Transportation say detours on the College Park Road I-26 overpass are expected to continue through the weekend as crews prep for repair work to the bridge which was damaged by a tractor trailer hauling an oversized load.

Officials say the bridge sustained serious damage and traffic will be heavy for an extended period of time.

Drivers say they are paying that price.

“The traffic around here is already pretty awful, and so just having that bridge closed down just added another level to it,” said a motorist.

The truck driver involved in the incident was charged for three offenses, each carrying a 100 dollar fine.

One former truck driver believes it is not entirely that driver’s fault.

“Unless he was totally off route. But they should have given him the specific routes he should have been following," said Dimitri Cherny, a former truck driver. “And if he wasn’t, he screwed up or they should have given it to him.”

Cherny was a truck driver for five years, starting in 2010.

He said he drove big rigs and flat-bed trailers during that time. According to him, companies need to apply for special permits when it comes to dealing with oversized or overweight loads.

The Department of Transportation for the states involved in the trip would charge the company a certain amount of money for that load. Cherny said that there are maps for truck drivers to use that will show special routes, specifically around bridges and overpasses if a truck is carrying a load that is too large.

“There are special high load routes into and out of every city out there. They should have given him those routes,” said Cherny.

SCDOT says they don’t have a completion date for this repair project yet.

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