Wondering when that York County road is getting fixed? Here’s what SCDOT says
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has a dozen York County and Indian Land road projects at some phase of construction or planning.
Area project supervisor Berry Mattox laid out the latest progress Friday at the Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study meeting. The work is funded through federal grants, local matches and guideshare money, or dollars allocated to metropolitan planning organizations, such as RFATS.
Here’s what drivers can expect:
Rock Hill
▪ Celanese Road at India Hook Road
Turn lanes and turn lane storage will be added. Right-of-way acquisition should begin within a couple of months, with construction bids in summer 2020. The project will cost $7.6 million. Federal air quality grant money will pay $4.8 million, the rest is coming from a local match out of Rock Hill and RFATS guideshare funds.
“There is a significant utility cost in the project that we’re still trying to work out with the city,” Mattox said. “So there’s a couple of things at play here.”
▪ Celanese at Riverview/Riverchase
The project will add turn lanes on Celanese at Riverview and Riverchase roads, and connect Riverview and Riverchase via an extension to Ligon Road. Considered one of the worst traffic areas in York County, planners say it could lose a traffic signal if the planned work doesn’t improve conditions.
Blythe Development won the contract to build the $4.9 million project last fall. It should be complete by the end of November. It’s an almost even split among federal air quality grant and guideshare money, with a little less than $800,000 from a local match.
“We’ve had some weather concerns, but it’s moving along and moving in the right direction,” Mattox said.
▪ Cherry Road and I-77/Celanese
A reconfiguration is planned at the I-77, exits 82A, B and C. It is not yet funded. York County submitted an application with the state infrastructure bank, which includes the interchange.
“This project is a priority but at this point, we’re kind of on hold,” Mattox said. “We’re ready to go at a moment’s notice. If funding materializes, this project immediately becomes a higher priority.”
The project is listed at $18 million. Future guideshare money could pay for it.
▪ East White Street/Firetower Road at East Main Street
The project will add left turn lane storage on East White at East Main. Cherokee Inc. won the low bid for construction in November at $1.7 million. The project should be complete by the end of October.
The entire project will run $2.8 million. A federal air quality grant and local match from Rock Hill will pay for it.
Fort Mill
▪ S.C. 160 and I-77
An interchange reconfiguration is planned to relieve congestion and widening S.C. 160 from Sutton Road to U.S. 21. Traffic data is being collected now.
“We’re pushing forward on this one,” Mattox said. “
Right-of-way should begin in 2021, followed by construction. The $19 million will be fully funded through RFATS guideshare money.
▪Pleasant Road at Carowinds Boulevard
Turn lanes and turn lane storage will be added. Right-of-way acquisition could begin by the end of this month and last about a year. More than half the funding for the $2.1 million project comes from a federal air quality grant.
Construction may begin right after right-of-way, depending on traffic conditions and nearby construction projects.
“This intersection may see an influx in traffic from the Gold Hill (Road and I-77 interchange) project, so when we have this discussion a year from now when right-of-way is acquired, is it something we want to hold off on? Or do we want to go ahead and rip the Band-aid off?”
▪ Clebourne Street at North White Street
A new right turn lane from Clebourne onto northbound U.S. 21 is planned. The $1.6 million project is another federal air quality grant, with a $332,000 match from Fort Mill.
“We’re moving into the construction phase over the summer,” Mattox said. “We’re finalizing right-of-way acquisition now.”
▪ Nation Ford High School sidewalks
Sidewalks will run along Springfield Parkway and A.O. Jones Boulevard near the high school. The project is budgeted at about $621,000, paid for by a federal air quality grant.
Southern Concrete Construction won the bid in August. Work should be done by the end of June.
Indian Land
▪ U.S. 521 and Marvin Road
Turn lanes and signal timing changes are planned, with right-of-way acquisition starting in a month or two followed by construction in a year to 18 months.
“We’re adding turn lanes,” Mattox said. “We’ll have dual southbound lefts, and a right turn lane off of Marvin.”
The initial project budget is $806,000 from RFATS guideshare funding. That budget is likely to increase.
“We anticipate that we will need a budget adjustment at some point, which has been expected all along,” Mattox said. “We haven’t yet defined what that number is. We should have a better idea of that once we finalize our right-of-way plans.”
▪ S.C. 160 widening
S.C. 160 will be widened from Possum Hollow Road to the York County line at Sugar Creek. It will be five lanes from Possum Hollow to Rosemont and McMilan Park drives, then three lanes from there to the county line.
The work should be done by summer 2020.
“The project, as we all know here, was delayed early on due to utilities,” Mattox said. “But we’re back on schedule.”
Now, the issue is rain.
“The wet weather has done them no favors at all,” Mattox said.
The project costs more than $21 million. About half of that money comes from RFATS neighboring planning organization, Catawba Regional Council of Governments. RFATS put in another $6 million in guideshare, with the Lancaster Water and Sewer District paying more than $2.8 million.
▪ River Road sidewalks
The west side of River Road will have 5-foot-wide sidewalks to improve safety at Indian Land high and middle schools. Bids are scheduled for March. The total project is $241,000 from federal money and a local match.
Tega Cay
▪ Dam Road sidewalks
About 2,300 feet of sidewalk along Dam Road, from Stonecrest Boulevard to Coralbell Way, will be installed. Initially, money was going to a sidewalk on Tega Cay Drive but was shifted to the Dam Road area.
The $483,000 project is a mix of RFATS guideshare, federal grant and local match dollars.
The sidewalks should be constructed this year. There are a few issues to work out with the city, including landscaping.
“We’re kind of refining the scope a little bit,” Mattox said.
