LOCKHART — Connie Porter remembers the last time work was done on one of the bridges in Lockhart on South Carolina Highway 9.

“They had some repairs a few years ago on the Chester side,” she said Tuesday night.

The Lockhart resident and town council member owns a hair styling business in the eastern Union County community and even with just those repairs to the bridge that spans the Broad River she lost business at her shop.

Her customers come from several places, including Chester and Sharon, and she said closing the bridges could be a detriment to her business — especially if they are closed for two or three years.

But that’s one of the six options the South Carolina Department of Transportation has developed in the preliminary planning for the replacement of four bridges in Lockhart on SC 9.

Community members were asked to voice their opinions and concerns about the proposed bridge replacement project at an informational meeting — led by SCDOT and RPM Engineers, the engineering firm working on the project — Tuesday night at Lockhart Middle School.

The proposed project has a lot of people in Lockhart talking.

“At my shop, that’s the whole conversation,” Porter said.

SCDOT is proposing six alternatives — at this point in the infancy of the project — to replace four bridges on Highway 9 that span the Broad River, Broad River Canal, Canal Road and Lockhart Drive.

Each one carries a different impact. Four would move the route to different locations and could possibly impact housing and other aspects of the Lockhart community while one would simply close the existing bridges for the 2-3 years of construction and build new in their places and require motorists to take a 33 mile detour to get from one side of the river to the next. The final option would be to do nothing at this time — an option SCDOT says is rarely the preferred plan.

The four alternatives that would move the route to other locations also would keep the existing structures open for the duration of the project, thus not redirecting traffic.

While the project is in its early stages, DOT officials wanted to give the community an opportunity to share its thoughts on the plans thus far because of the magnitude and impact it will have on the community and highway that act as a sort of gateway into Union and Chester counties.

“We really don’t want the bridges closed,” Porter said. “The people don’t want the bridges closed.”

Her sentiments seemed correct Tuesday night as several people told SCDOT and RPM officials they didn’t think closing the bridge and forcing motorists to take a 33 mile detour would be a feasible option, especially with as many people who cross them on a daily basis. Brian Klauk with the SCDOT told those present Tuesday night the route in question sees 3,800 vehicles — on average — each day, with 10 percent of those being large trucks.

With so many who rely on the route for several reasons, whether it’s to get to work each day, pick up their mail, come to town for a hair appointment or whatever, Town of Lockhart officials also don’t want to see the bridges close.

“If we close the bridges, that would be a disaster,” said Lockhart Mayor Ailene Ashe.

“I know my customers wouldn’t go all the way around just to get their hair done,” Porter said.

But if replacing the bridges in their current locations isn’t the best option, then another alternative will have to be selected which could mean impacts on local housing, business and the environment.

“Are there a lot of homes involved?” asked one community member at Tuesday’s meeting.

“We don’t know yet,” Klauk responded.

While each of the four alternative routes that would move Highway 9 to a slightly different location across the river and through Lockhart has different impacts to the community, they are — right now — only preliminary plans. Klauk said there’s no definite answers at this time until SCDOT and RPM have completed all of their studies and surveys to determine which alternative would be the best.

Tuesday’s meeting was part of that process.

“The varying alternatives have some impacts,” Klauk said. “But we don’t know the extent.”

He and his colleagues working the project should have a much better understanding of all the impacts involved by the time they come back to Lockhart for another public meeting this fall.

Residents also wanted to know when SCDOT would know for sure if the project would happen. Klauk said by sometime this fall, planning should be completed to determine which alternative will be the best option — even if that means the “no build” option is the route taken.

If the no build option is the best alternative at this time, because the bridge system on SC 9 has been deemed as needing replacement at this time to pre-emptively strike before any major problems begin to appear it will most likely continue to come up in the DOT’s plans year after year.

Community members also asked if housing or property impacts were necessary due to the alternative that becomes the best option for the bridge replacement, what the typical procedure is to approach those property owners.

RPM project manager Berry Still told the audience Tuesday if their property was affected by the project, they would have face to face contact with SCDOT and other officials to discuss options and they would be with the property owner through the entire process. Those property owners would also be compensated appropriately or given assistance to relocate.

“They will do everything they can to make sure it’s as smooth a process as possible,” Still said.

SCDOT knows how important this project is to the Town of Lockhart and Union and Chester counties and the people who live, work and play here.

Klauk reiterated to those who attended Tuesday’s meeting that the project is just now in its infancy. If all goes according to schedule and an appropriate alternative is found, construction wouldn’t even begin until the spring or summer of 2012.

But SCDOT wants to keep the community informed and will do so by continuing quarterly newsletters for the residents of Lockhart so they know what is being done and where the project sits.

The DOT also encourages anyone who wants to share their thoughts, opinions, concerns or other input on the project to do so by submitting them to Klauk.

“We’ll take the input we gain today and pour over it and analyze it,” Klauk said Tuesday. “We recognize how important this bridge is to the community.”