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Claude Dean was a Ridgeland native, a World War II veteran and chairman of the Jasper County Aeronautics Commission. He died last September at the age of 94 and the airport has been renamed in his honor. The expansion will include a new 4,200-foot runway and convert the current runway into an extended taxiway which will qualify the airport for general aviation, allowing for both commercial and non-commercial aircraft and activity. This classification better integrates the airport and air traffic into the FAA airport system, yet it will not prevent current private aircraft from using the new runway. Read More

Sports Turf Company Inc., who operates out of Whitesburg, Ga, rebuilt both The South Effingham High School Mustangs and the Effingham County High School Rebels running tracks this year. The projects were funded with SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) monies voted on during the 2016 election. The Mustangs’ track circles the football field. The Rebels’ track is behind its football stadium. The old Effingham tracks were asphalt surfaces. The harder surfaces sometimes led to injuries. The new tracks are much more user friendly. With the new tracks it also allows South Effingham and Effingham County to host track events. “It’s exciting. It’s exciting for our kids, our community and our school,” said Mustangs athletic director Jeff Faith, who was a long-distance runner in college at the University of Kansas and later at  Morehead State. “I think it’s special to have a track to call ours,” he said. “This track isn’t just for us, but for the athletes and teams in years to come.” Read More

The South Carolina Ports Authority is constructing the new Hugh K. Leatherman, Sr. Terminal on the Cooper River, in North Charleston, SC. The agency has worked diligently to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts associated with the construction of this terminal through the permitting process. A major element of the mitigation process is the creation of over 22 acres of new intertidal wetland habitat on a former dredged material containment area (DMCA) located on the southern end of Drum Island in Charleston Harbor. This collaborative project included ecological planning, environmental research/permitting, soil & contaminant testing and coastal & marine engineering to plan and design a sustainable habitat that would withstand the weather and tidal conditions prevailing at the site. The project's engineering challenges stem from Drum Island's central location in Charleston Harbor. With an over 7 km fetch, the site is exposed to severe wind and wave action in addition to strong tidal currents. Engineering studies were performed to develop a combination of natural and traditional shore protection measures are being employed to protect this new state resource. The completed restoration site will be inclusive of low lying spartina marsh, high marsh, vegetated upland areas and meandering tidal creeks. Read More

Piedmont Construction Group teamed up with Solara Investments to build a four-story, 88-room hotel at 107 Ivy Hill Lane near the intersection of Springdale Road in Rock Hill. The new hotel will consist of a total of 55,600 square-feet with associated common areas and an 89 space parking lot. The project is one of several new hotels that are part of the small hospitality boom happening in the area. Read More

With work on the first North American Volvo manufacturing facility progressing, Berkeley County has organized to build a new training center at the Camp Hall Industrial Campus located near Ridgeville, SC.  Construction of the $500 million manufacturing center’s three major buildings is complete and now construction of the training facility is proceeding. Through the pilot program at the new training facility, Berkeley county residents will have access to the training needed to work at the new Volvo plant. The program is a partnership between Trident Technical College, South Carolina Department of Commerce, Volvo Cars, Ready SC and Berkeley County. Read More

Homewood Suites by Hilton is currently under construction in Greenville and is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2019. The new property developed and owned by Parks Hospitality Group, is located at 942 South Main St. in downtown Greenville. Read More

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s new Coastal Crime Lab in underway on a 5-acre parcel conveyed to the state by the City of Pooler on Isaac G. LaRoche Drive, situated between a city fire station and the West Chatham YMCA. When it’s finished, the new crime lab will replace an existing facility on the south side of Savannah as the regional crime lab for southeast Georgia. Like the 30-year-old lab on Mohawk Street, investigators at the Pooler lab will examine projectiles, drugs and biological samples from crime scenes in 23 Georgia counties, and provide forensic biology services for another seven counties in the state. Read More

Construction of a new car dealership in Hinesville Georgia is underway. The 305 West Oglethorpe Highway site is the third location for J.C. Lewis Ford. Read More

The Port of Savannah’s International Multi-Modal Connector (IIMC) at the Garden City Terminal is underway for a $128 million rail expansion. Astra Group, Inc. is contracted for the $35 million civil infrastructure portion. The project will consist of proving soil improvements, earthwork, drainage and erosion control within and adjacent to the James D. Mason Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), the realignment of a portion of Pipemakers Canal, installation of two structures across the realigned canal to accommodate future rail tracks, and the installation of a bridge across the canal for maintenance. Read More

Booming growth of the Charlotte area makes it necessary for expansions and improvements on the highway systems. One of the newest improvements underway is the widening of Interstate 77. This improvement will give drivers of the Charlotte and Lake Norman area the choice of using express lanes, general purpose lanes or a combination of both. The future Express lanes will run adjacent to the existing general-purpose lanes and will be 26 miles of dedicated toll lanes from I-77/ I-277 in Charlotte to Exit 36 in Mooresville.  Read More