Why has Interstate 20 project taken so long? GDOT explains

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - For nearly five years, the Interstate 20 bridge over the Savannah River has been nothing but orange cones, a sea of red tail lights and cranes.

Detours, construction, congestion and irritation are all things our drivers going between state lines have sort of gotten accustomed to.

“It’s definitely been a longer road than we anticipated,” said Georgia Department of Transportation spokesman Kyle Collins.

A year ago, we thought the finish line was January, then May, then it was June.

Now it’s September.

Every day, we inch one step closer to ending the traffic nightmare for the new Savannah River bridge project.

So where does work stand now?

It looks like the project is wrapping up this fall.

We were out with GDOT crews on Monday to give you a closer look at where this massive road project stands, and they’re setting their eyes on a new finish line.

We’ve been driving in the orange sea for nearly five years. But GDOT says it’s the price we pay for progress.

“Construction is hard, you know, they’re doing this under live traffic, it’d be great if we could just close everything down and get it built quickly. And the weather was perfect every day. But that’s not how it is in the field. But sometimes delays do happen. Everything is not always sunny,” said Collins.

The project has faced every delay starting with COVID and supply chain issues to weather and recently, contract issues.

“Regardless, things have gone a little bit longer than we would have liked it, but there are mechanisms in the contract. And we work with that contract partner to hold them able through financial penalties. So that’s currently being assessed. There are ongoing negotiations to finalize that process,” said Collins.

The $73 million project is set to replace four lanes with six.

The big scope of plans is to replace all the old bridges over the Augusta Canal and Savannah River and also widen I-20, add an extra lane, and add extra-wide shoulders on the inside and outside, which will be 12 feet, he said.

“We’ve also been able to deliver new infrastructure through some of the stage shifts. We’ve done the last two years. All the major bridge work is complete on both the Augusta Canal and the Savannah River, all the concrete and the medium barrier wall is completed on the Georgia side,” said Collins.

And their sights are set on the finish line.

“The majority of the focus, these next two months, we’re hoping to get everything done is on the South Carolina side, finalizing that medium barrier, as well as the roadway. That is the big push the next few weeks to get all three lanes open to traffic in both directions,” said Collins.

The official end date they are looking at is late September or early October.

GDOT says there will still be some minor work left after that like road signs, clean up and corrective work striping.

For drivers, you’re looking at fall before all six lanes are open.

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