Here’s what it will cost to fix one of York County’s worst traffic spots, study says
One of the busiest and built-up areas of York County has a traffic issue, and it could get worse if fixes aren’t implemented.
That was the message from a recent Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study report (RFATS) made public Friday that found Lake Wylie needs new road connections, traffic signals and other improvements.
The price tag would be up to $16 million.
The study doesn’t allocate money or make the projects official. It provides information public officials use to steer funding decisions.
Mayors, elected representatives and planners from eastern York County and Indian Land make up the policy committee that conducted the study.
The highlights included:
▪ In a unique area for the peninsula from Buster Boyd Bridge to the Three Points intersection, then up to S.C. 557 at Oakridge Road, there are about 20 intersections per mile that don’t have traffic signals, a higher number than most roads with similar traffic volume in the growing Lake Wylie area.
▪ There were 939 crashes from 2015-19 along the straight shot from Oakridge Middle School to the Buster Boyd Bridge. That total made up almost 3% of all York County crashes in that time span. Year-to-year crashes in Lake Wylie rose 42%. Of Lake Wylie crashes, 59% came at intersections with no signals.
▪ Without improvements, peak hour traffic delays along the S.C. 49 corridor could be more than 200% worse by 2023 than they were in 2020.
The study listed possible remedies for many of the issues the area faces.
New roads
Two new roadway connections are listed among study recommendations. One would link Bonum and Montgomery roads. A high volume of residential traffic from Bonum could then access the traffic signal at Montgomery. The other proposal is an extension of Vesla Lane to connect Evergreen and Carroll Cove roads.
Both roads would be designed to route traffic parallel to the main highway, without having to access it in as many places. It’s similar to recent upgrades in Rock Hill at the problematic Celanese Road area just off Interstate 77. There, Ligon Drive was extended to connect Riverview Road and Riverchase Boulevard.
New, upgraded traffic signals
There are seven traffic signals from the Oakridge Road and S.C. 557 intersection to Buster Boyd Bridge. Two more intersections on S.C. 49, the study found, warrant study for possible new signals. One comes at Forest Oaks Drive, the other at Montgomery Road.
“Signalization at these two intersections could benefit the platooning of traffic,” said Chris Herrmann, a member of the planning committee.
Signals at the busy intersections also could reduce angle crashes there by 67% and injury crashes by 23%, the study shows.
An improvement for the existing signals, and the new ones if they’re installed, is the adaptive signal concept. The “smart signals” record and process data to determine when to switch lights, based on patterns. Signal coordination was installed last fall in the S.C. 160 area of Fort Mill near Baxter, Kingsley and I-77.
Adaptive signals can improve traffic flow by 10%, the study suggests.
Intersection improvements
The study found also four areas where new right-turn lanes off either S.C. 49 or 557 would help. One is at the entrance to Lowe’s Home Improvement at Mill Creek Commons. Another turns onto Evergreen Road, across from Shoppes at the Landing.
The other two are opposite from one another on S.C. 49 near River Hills, rights onto both Hamiltons Ferry Road and Robinhood Lane.
A little more complicated fix is proposed for the S.C. 49 intersection with Mill Pond Road and Village Harbor Drive. Today, both roads feeding onto the main highway have dedicated right-turn lanes and a middle lane used by drivers going straight or turning left.
Proposed are two new right-turn lanes off the main highway and a swapping of lane uses. There would be dedicated left-turn lanes onto S.C. 49 and drivers going straight or turning right would share a lane.
Limited left turns
Several access management strategies could limit left turns throughout the corridor. It’s similar to what happened along the Carowinds Boulevard corridor in 2017 (where crash rates decreased, the study found) and more recently along S.C. 160 near Baxter and Kingsley in Fort Mill.
Access management from west of Three Points to the Buster Boyd Bridge could offer improved traffic flow during the evening rush hour, and safety benefits.
“It can be phased in for different segments if there’s a will to do so,” Herrmann said.
Plans involve the conversion of a two-way center left-turn lane into a raised median. The change could bring a 61% reduction in crashes- including 21% fewer injury crashes, according to the study. Creating right-in, right-out driveways along the corridor has a potential for a 56% reduction in driveway crashes. Driveway consolidation in some areas is an option.
Massive neighbor highway
One project just outside Lake Wylie could impact the study area greatly. The proposed Catawba Crossings road connection from Gaston to Mecklenburg counties in North Carolina would drive numerous trips to and from Lake Wylie via Pole Branch Road.
Pole Branch already is under construction for widening through the York County sales tax program, Pennies for Progress. The larger project is a mix of widening to three and five lanes. David Hooper, RFATS administrator who also sits on a steering committee for Catawba Crossings, said numerous times in recent months the project north of the state line would have a major impact from Clover and York to Lake Wylie.
It could mean revisiting Pole Branch, to see whether the full route may need to be five lanes.
“We’re all going to be watching this activity very closely,” Hooper told the policy committee.
Lake Wylie road costs
Herrmann gave what he called high level approximations for how much the study recommendations may cost. Road costs can vary widely depending on timing and market prices on asphalt and materials.
The access management improvement recommendations would be costliest, at $8-$10 million. Intersection improvements could run $250,000 to $3 million. New road connections could cost $500,000 to $1.5 million, and traffic signal upgrades $300,000 to $1.5 million.
Along with local funding through RFATS, common funding sources for the types of projects recommended include Pennies for Progress sales tax revenue, the South Carolina Department of Transportation and federal air quality grants.
No timetable was given for any of the projects.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
