Ahead of the next Pennies vote, the latest on how York County road work is going now
The most compelling case for, or against, a Pennies for Progress referendum next year may well be the road work already done. or that is in progress.
The voter-approved, one-cent sales tax program funds York County road work. More recent campaigns have run faster than, closer to, or even under, budget compared to earlier versions. And revenue from in-county spending is largely up.
Still, not all road jobs are easy; and not all drivers are pleased with the rate of progress.
On Friday afternoon, Pennies for Progress manager Patrick Hamilton updated the Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation policy committee on several major efforts, including some that cause concern for public officials.
Fort Mill Parkway and Spratt Street
There’s already been a traffic shift where Fort Mill Parkway and Spratt Street meet, near U.S. 21 and the Catawba River bridge. The intersection has stalled traffic considerably in the afternoons. It still does.
“I get complaints daily,” Fort Mill Mayor Guynn Savage said.
Lancaster County Councilman Brian Carnes said there has been change, but not relief.
“To me it’s like we moved the backup from the parkway and put it on (U.S.) 21,” Carnes said.
Hamilton said it’s important to remember the ongoing work isn’t finished, and it isn’t final. Completion of the current job will add a second left turn lane onto Spratt Street heading into downtown Fort Mill.
“Ideally this intersection would be completely opened up to traffic (by the) end of May, early June,” Hamilton said. “Obviously that’s going to be dependent on the weather.”
A new turn lane means another lane will be needed on Spratt to receive that traffic, which Hamilton said that work is ongoing. Hamilton believes the new intersection will help, but it will go only so far.
“It’s not going to create a huge capacity increase,” he said of the realignment.
Relief will come with widening the parkway, which is under design now. The most recent Pennies vote in 2017 included a more than $23 million widening of Sutton Road, Spratt Street and Fort Mill Parkway from I-77 to the railroad overpass on the parkway.
“The project is not finished,” Hamilton said.
U.S. 21 and S.C. 51
An even larger project in Fort Mill is on the horizon.
“Probably the biggest project the county has ever advertised, is currently advertised for bid,” Hamilton said.
The U.S. 21 and S.C. 51 improvement in the Carowinds area was listed on the 2011 Pennies referendum. Pennies lists that job at $50 million. Hamilton said the county could open construction bids in May, or push it back a couple of weeks due to the size of the project.
“I want to give the contractors enough time to put a legitimate bid together and if we have to wait a couple extra weeks, that’s totally worth it from our perspective,” Hamilton said.
There have been past instances on other road projects where only one bid arrived. Hamilton said he would like to see several, but knows it will take a large contractor with significant resources to complete the project. Construction will run four years. The first year is likely to be only utility relocation.
“Two major five-lane projects being combined into one,” Hamilton said. “So there’s going to be a large amount of utilities that have to be moved.”
Hubert Graham Way extension
The contractor working on a Hubert Graham Way extension in Tega Cay should’ve been done in February and has since faced $800 per day fines. Tega Cay Mayor Chris Gray said he’s seen the road clear of workers on clear days, and a lack of silt retention at the project site.
“We’ve got a tremendous amount of silt on the road,” Gray said.
Hamilton said a lack of work on clear days has been an issue and the daily fines are happening, but he can’t raise the fine amount agreed to in the construction contract. Sidewalk work remains, plus a final layer of asphalt. The project should be complete by late May or early June.
Sutton and New Gray Rock roads
Some crossings, storm drain pipe and other work is done at the Sutton Road and New Gray Rock Road site near Fort Mill and Tega Cay. As the name of the intersection might foreshadow, contractors hit rock that has been an issue but not something Hamilton believes should delay the project. Utilities are being moved and laid before actual road widening and installation a signal in late summer or early fall.
“There’s still a few months of construction even after the utilities get done,” Hamilton said.
Riverview Road, S.C. 160 East
The county held a pre-construction meeting and awarded a bid for work on Riverview Road in Rock Hill. Work should begin May 1. There’s a tight corridor and lots of utility work ahead, in a two-year construction window, Hamilton said. Riverview will be widened from Eden Terrace to S.C. 161.
In a separate project, S.C. 160 East will be widened but that bid likely won’t go out until June after the much larger U.S. 21 and S.C. 51 project near Carowinds.
Pennies 5
Friday’s update came as community meetings continue ahead of a new list of roads come up for vote.
Pennies campaigns run seven years. A citizen committee picks projects that York County Council can approve or deny in full, and decide whether to put on a ballot for public vote. If approved, a cent sales tax is charged for seven years to fund road work.
The citizen committee already held public meetings in Tega Cay and Rock Hill. The group will meet Wednesday at Oakridge Middle School in Lake Wylie, then again May 17 at Clover Community Center. Future meetings are June 21 in York, July 19 in Fort Mill, Aug. 16 in Sharon, and Sept. 20 in Rock Hill. All meetings start at 6 p.m.
This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
