SCDOT Harbor River Bridge

Beaufort, SC

South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has traditionally required Bentonite as a support fluid. That changed in 2019 when Lee & Sims Drilling Services, Inc. successfully used KB’s simplistic polymer system to drill shafts at the Harbor River Bridge project in Beaufort County, SC.

Lee & Sims completed 19 production piles, starting from the west side of the bridge. 15 of the shafts were in the water so most drilling was done by barge with casing down to bedrock. Soil conditions were mostly soft clays and sand. Due to drilling through salt water, KB had to treat out the organics in the soil to maintain the proper pH and viscosity as the drill descended. The simplicity of KB’s polymer systems was a huge motivator for Lee & Sims.