Overpass aids relief shelter access and tourist traffic

US 501 is the main road through the busy town of Aynor that both visitors and citizens use daily. The highway also connects locals with their hurricane evacuation relief shelters. We designed a new four-lane roadway spanning approximately two miles with a bridge overpass at US 501. The new overpass location, designed with parkway aesthetics, serves as an attractive gateway and provides increased interconnectivity for the town.

Only 35 miles from Myrtle Beach, Aynor experiences a seasonal influx of tourist traffic, with nearly 13.7 million visitors annually. The new overpass over US 501 serves as the only direct thoroughfare connecting the two halves of Aynor. Citizens now have unrestricted access to their hurricane shelters as well as more direct bus routes and shortened emergency response times.

The project was subject to the 12-Step Permittee responsible mitigation requirement newly instituted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As a result, our team quickly involved the environmental community to locate suitable mitigation for the anticipated coastal stream impacts. By doing so, the project remained on schedule throughout the lengthy plan approval process.