The project's route has been changed to minimize the environmental impact, Clyburn's office said. The current bridge route wouldn't appear to hurt endangered species highlighted in the Green Scissors report, according to the S.C. Department of Transportation. The two preferred routes now closely parallel an existing railroad bridge over the swamp, rather than large expanses of open water and wetlands, DOT project manager Kevin Sheppard said. Representatives of the three groups that conducted the Green Scissors study could not be reached late Thursday to comment on the new proposed routes. But Chester Sansbury of Columbia, a bridge opponent, said any new route wouldn't alleviate all concerns about the bridge.
Opponents still believe it is an expensive project and an environmental threat.
Sansbury represents the Concord Coalition, a national taxpayer group that shares the Green Scissors report's concerns about the bridge. Area residents are split on the bridge, said Jim Darby, executive director of the Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments. The DOT will do an environmental impact statement to make sure Clyburn's plan won't adversely affect the Santee Swamp, also known as Sparkleberry Swamp. Clyburn blasted the Green Scissors report and detractors of the bridge, saying they don't understand the area's economic problems. His clash with environmentalists is unusual.