Fort Mill Southern Bypass should open prior to 2016
It cost more than expected, but drivers should be using the full Fort Mill bypass by the end of the year.
The final stretch of the Fort Mill Southern Bypass project should open to traffic in 2015, with full completion expected next spring. The difference in the two dates involves final striping, new grass beside the road and final punch list items that can be completed while drivers use the roads.
“All of these items are typically blind to the general public, but are required for final conformance and payment to the contractor,” said Lisa Hagood, county engineer.
The first three construction phases are complete. The final phase runs from Fort Mill Parkway and Holbrook Road to the Springfield Parkway and S.C. 160. The initial budget for all four phases was just more than $15 million. The estimated completion cost now is $42 million.
“The major reason for the increased cost is the project estimate was done years prior to the design for this new road, without a set alignment which controls how many and what size bridges, type of terrain that must be cleared and graded, unknown soils or rock to excavate, unknown neighborhoods on the route that influences right of way costs,” Hagood said.
The bypass isn’t the only road facing similar overruns. The Tega Cay-Gold Hill Connector project originally saw a $1.4 million estimate. York County Council approved a final construction bid last month at $8.1 million. Pennies for Progress, the cent sales tax funding source for most new road construction in the county, has seen changes since its first referendum in 1997 that contributed to missed cost estimates. Cost concerns were a main reason the county switched from consultant-based to in-house management.
Council members, in approving the money in Tega Cay on Sept. 21, were hopeful that lessons learned in three Pennies campaigns so far will lead to better estimates for the upcoming fourth public vote.
“We’ve got to start getting a grip on these cost factors,” said Chairman Britt Blackwell.
Another public referendum is expected in November 2017. The county is working with municipalities to set up stakeholder groups now, to identify roads with the greatest needs. Projects from previous Pennies campaigns can carry over to a new referendum.
As for the bypass, ongoing work is evident. The first phase largely crossed undeveloped areas. The current phase includes major road crossings, often near subdivisions. Earlier this year Williams Road closed for bypass work, detouring onto Hensley Road. Detour signs now have cars avoiding Hensley.
John Marks: 803-831-8166, @JohnFMTimes
Fort Mill Bypass projects at a glance
Timeline
1997: The Fort Mill Northern Bypass, from S.C. 160 to Deerfield Road, makes the first Pennies for Progress list approved by county voters at $7.1 million. The bypass is one of 15 projects in an overall $190 million campaign. Costs grow to $14.6 million by completion.
2003: Voters approve the second Pennies referendum, this time for 25 projects at $173 million. The first phase of the Fort Mill Southern Bypass, from Fort Mill Parkway to Holbrook Road, makes the list at $7.5 million. Costs grow to almost $24 million by completion.
The second phase from Holbrook Road to S.C. 160, now halfway through construction, makes the list at a matching $7.5 million. Completion costs are expected to grow to almost $24 million.
2011: Intersection improvements at Fort Mill Parkway and Spratt Street make the latest Pennies campaign at $4.7 million. The project is slated for completion in 2017.
This story was originally published October 8, 2015 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Fort Mill Southern Bypass should open prior to 2016."