South Carolina transportation officials said construction could take months after a portion of a bridge on Crowe Creek Road in Pickens County collapsed on July 21.
The state transportation department asked drivers to find alternate routes.
WYFF reported the bridge was being used as a detour around Highway 183 construction.
The bridge is nearly 60 years old and was already scheduled to be replaced because of its age and design.
State DOT said the bridge was rated "fair" during an inspection last spring.
Heavy trucks and cars were prohibited from driving over the load-restricted bridge.
The department said crews are working to assess the damage's extent and start a plan for the bridge's replacement.
Last week, the state Department of Transportation Commission approved an updated $634 million bridge construction and modernization program.
There are 8,400 bridges in the state’s road system, and the department estimates that 2,400 of those bridges are 60 years or older.
State DOT Secretary Justin Powell said last week that the Legislature's approval of an added $200 million for bridges this year will help accelerate the improvement program.
"When you look at when our bridges were built, we went on a bridge building spree in the 1950s and 60s," Powell said. "So, when we design a bridge, depending on the type, it can last anywhere from 60 to 75 years. So, we just have this number of bridges that are hitting that age-out point."
Powell said that 79 bridges in the state’s primary road system have been identified for upgrades, including planned bridges on Hilton Head Island and Interstate 95 bridges over Lake Marion and the Great Pee Dee River.
Russ McKinney contributed to this report.
