The South Carolina Department of Transportation was awarded $8 million in federal funding for the emergency replacement of the Old Vaucluse bridge over Interstate 20 in Aiken County.
A crash and the subsequent flames caused the bridge to collapse in June; a tractor-trailer gasoline tanker and car collided on the road beneath the overpass.
The tanker carried 8,500 gallons of gasoline. The bridge could not handle the heat coming from underneath it. It was then demolished.
SCDOT announced the incoming federal funds Monday morning.
The Federal Highway Administration approved the move. State Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell said in a press release that crews had already begun to mobilize on the project. SCDOT asked drivers to stay cautious and aware when traveling near the work zones.
"I am proud of the work of our team at SCDOT and our contractors, who were able to rapidly mobilize and get the interstate reopened after the crash," Powell said.
Less than 36 hours passed before the state reopened the impacted section of I-20. Powell and the department hope the emergency replacement will be "expedited by our crews" in a similar manner and completed by spring 2026.
