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In August 2023, Georgetown County, Davis & Floyd, Inc., and its team of subconsultants completed the $6.1M “gateway” project of Brick Chimney Road Improvements – Phase 1 in Georgetown County.

This three-phase project has an overarching goal of connecting US 701 to US 17 Alt that will alleviate traffic in downtown Georgetown and surrounding residential areas. The County hired Davis & Floyd to study the three phases and complete the design of Phase 1, a 2.4-mile, two-lane project.

Before the project began, people experienced a long, slow, and dusty drive down Brick Chimney Road (a dirt road). The county dispatched crews regularly to regrade and repack the road in an effort to minimize ruts and hazards.

Phase 1 included paving 2.4 miles of existing dirt road from Johnson Road to Browns Ferry Road to accommodate 45 to 55 mph speeds. Our team realigned Brick Chimney Road at Browns Ferry Road, creating a 90o-angle intersection with the addition of a left turn lane. We also improved Browns Ferry Road’s intersection with new right and left turn lanes.

Our design team faced the challenge of crossing the International Paper Canal (IP Canal) that runs under Brick Chimney Road. This canal supplies water to International Paper, who maintains it, as well as to Georgetown County.

To meet the needs of both parties, International Paper informed us continuous water flow was required and could not be reduced at any point during construction. In addition to maintaining water flow, no runoff could enter the canal during or after construction.

Davis & Floyd rose to the occasion by being thorough when providing design options to International Paper. The plant first selected a box culvert for the canal, but our engineers found bypass pumping and pile foundations would be needed during construction to meet the required water flow. Instead, selection of a bridge served as the better alternative, saving Georgetown County $300,000.

We designed the bridge with two flumes that release runoff into one of four pipes that run underneath the canal’s maintenance roads and pour out into nearby county outfalls, minimizing contamination.

Thanks to our team’s work, Brick Chimney Road Improvements – Phase 1 has already benefited Georgetown County with a newly paved roadway and intersection improvements, reducing travel time and traffic on residential roadways, and will encourage future land development of surrounding properties.

Recognized for its importance and long-term impact, this project received an American Council of Engineering Companies of South Carolina (ACEC-SC) Engineering Excellence Award.