Aiken City Council held a specially called work session on Nov. 2. The topic was simple but tough: tear down the Fairfield Street Bridge or install shoring under the bridge. A South Carolina Department of Transportation analysis says the bridge is structurally compromised. It crosses the historic railroad cut from Colleton Avenue SE to Park Avenue SE.
SCDOT told the city Oct. 9 that an analysis done in late July found that “demolition and removal of the bridge spans over and adjacent to the railroad tracks should be given a high priority to avoid potential bridge collapse and obstruction of the facility,” according to the City of Aiken.
The council must pick one of two paths. It can spend time and money to prop up the structure before replacing it, or it can tear the bridge down and build a new one. Installing shoring under the bridge would take up to a year for design and permits and would cost $400,000. Demolition is quicker. It would take less than three months and cost about $150,000…