Of 900 roads and bridges closed due to damage in the wake of Hurricane Helene, 859 have been reopened, according to state Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell.
Powell provided repair updates at a press event in northern Greenville County Oct. 18 and was joined by Kristin White, acting administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, and state Sen. Tom Corbin (R-Greenville).
The event was held on Camp Creek Road north of Taylors at a section of road closed due to a culvert washout. The area is part of Corbin’s Senate District Five.
Powell said there were about 12 damaged sections of roads around the state, like the section over Wildcat Creek on Camp Creek Road, that would require extensive repairs that could last anywhere from 12 to 24 months.
Read more about the impact of Hurricane Helene
He added preliminary cost estimates of storm-related damage to the state’s highway system are about $50 million.
White said $2 million in immediate emergency financial assistance from FHA has been allocated to South Carolina with other federal dollars expected to follow.
Powell said he anticipated most of the 41 roads that remain closed would be repaired and reopened by the end of the year.
