News on an aging major Oconee-Pickens connector

About 500 bridges are part of the state’s plan to replace or refurbish, but a major span connecting Oconee and Pickens at Clemson is not one of them.  A spokeswoman for the DOT says the agency has no immediate plans to make any kinds of significant repairs to the Clemson 76/123 bridge over the Seneca River arm of Lake Hartwell.  The bridge was built 65 years ago.  The object of an inspection last year, an underwater look produced a satisfactory rating, with no footing exposed.  Ginny Jones, director of DOT strategic communications, acknowledged the fact the 1958 bridge has some railing issues.  But, she says, they are common for a bridge of that age.  There, the guardrail is 23.5”.  The bridge features a 9-inch concrete curb which, Jones says, in the event of a crash, helps cars from going over the edge of the bridge.