Briggs-DeLaine-Pearson Connector 
Would Destroy Ecological Jewel

You’ve heard about the infamous bridge over the Upper Santee Swamp for half a decade now. At first it was called the Clyburn Connector. Then DOT changed the name to the Briggs-DeLaine-Pearson (BDP) Connector.  By any name, it is a bad idea.

The SC Department of Transportation (DOT) is moving ahead on this project despite the fact that the DOT Executive Director has said it is not a DOT priority. The Southern Environmental Law Center has filed a federal lawsuit to halt the permitting process.  This lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the Coastal Conservation League, the Audubon Society and the Wildlife Federation.

The attempts to permit this bridge by the SCDOT represent the flawed processes which allow unnecessary projects to receive funding prior to much needed projects. 

What’s at stake:

Building the controversial Briggs-DeLaine-Pearson Connector would destroy more than 15 acres of wetlands, including three acres of permanent fill, in the Upper Santee Swamp. In addition to its direct wetlands impacts, the Connector would promote development in one of the State’s most pristine natural areas, close to a National Wildlife Refuge and Congaree National Park, South Carolina’s only National Park. Nearby Sparkleberry Swamp is an

ecological jewel revered by birdwatchers and sportsmen alike—one of the few places remaining in the state where highway noise is never heard.

Background

For several years conservation groups have fought this bridge that would run across the swamp between Lone Star in Calhoun County, and Rimini in Sumter County.

This bridge would provide very little transportation improvement according to a DOT study, saving only three to ten minutes in travel time between Orangeburg and Sumter. Though the bridge was conceived as a way to bring economic development to the area, the same DOT study found it would generate very little.