LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Transportation is asking residents to weigh in on plans to replace a bridge over the Enoree River where Laurens County meets Spartanburg County, a crossing destroyed by Hurricane Helene.
The crossing carries S-112 and S-116, known locally as Beaverdam Church Road and Kilgore Bridge Road. The old bridge was torn down after the storm left it damaged beyond repair, and the road remains closed to traffic.
The department will accept comments through Oct. 30, 2026. People can submit them through an online form on the project website, by mail to the agency headquarters at 955 Park Street in Columbia, or by email. Every comment received during the comment period will be reviewed and added to the project record, and anyone who asks will get a response. The agency noted that names, addresses and other details sent with comments can be released under the Freedom of Information Act.
The bridge had been scheduled for repairs when Helene hit in the fall of 2024. The storm left it structurally unstable, and the agency demolished it for the safety of drivers. In 2025, transportation officials held a drop-in meeting at Beaverdam Baptist Church in Enoree to gather opinions on whether the bridge should be replaced or permanently closed and removed from the state system.
The replacement was later added to the 2024-2033 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. At that time, the department put the estimated cost for preliminary engineering, right of way and construction at $15 million.
