By AMY BANTON
The S.C. Department of Transportation held another public information meeting in regards to widening a portion of Silver Bluff Road in which dozens of residents living in the vicinity of the proposed project came to share their thoughts - both good and bad.
The plan, which suggests changing approximately a one and half mile two-lane section from Indian Creek Trail to Richardsons Lake Road, was printed on long sheets of paper rolled out onto tables Tuesday evening at Town Creek Baptist Church for residents to view.
SCDOT staff was on hand to answer any questions, and residents left written comments that will later be reviewed.
The project proposes that the two travel lanes be approximately 12 feet and the median 15 feet. There will be a 2-foot curb and around 6 feet of right-of-way, according to SCDOT.
This plan has been in the works since 2007 and was proposed to improve traffic operations on the busy road.
Some residents were OK with what they saw Tuesday night.
Tina Strohmeier was pleased to see that a stoplight at the intersection of Richardsons Lake. A traffic signal will not only help her and her neighbors get onto Silver Bluff safely but help the other neighborhoods down the road, as well, by slowing traffic.
She was also glad that SCDOT wasn't going with its original plan of five lanes, which was changed after residents expressed concern with how a project of that size was going to affect their properties.
"It's pretty good. They are not wasting space by making lanes just because," she said. "It will work, right now."
Working right now is what concerns Jack Hunter of Gem Lakes, who is also for the plan but feels there needs to be at least four lanes. With the population growing along an already busy road, he said, traffic will only going get worse and four lanes could deter congestion issues of larger traffic volumes in the future.
"I'd be OK with a bigger plan than this," Hunter said. "It's inevitable if you have growth, you have to have infrastructure growth, too. But the plan will be beneficial. It will be for the greater good."
One resident, Nancy Hansen of Richardsons Lake Road, was OK with the project but upset when she saw that the bike path and walkways that were once proposed were removed from the concept plan.
"It's a very unsafe road to walk or bike on," Hansen said. "The vision of the future should be to make it safer and easier to get out of our cars and build our community ties."
SCDOT program manager Kevin Gantt said the bike path and walkways were taken out of the plan because it lessened the impact of the right-of-way.
Other residents didn't feel too good about the plan at all, and most of them expressed concerns about safety.
"My biggest concern is my grandchildren playing in the yard," said Linda Proctor, who lives in Gem Lakes on Hartwell Drive. "They're moving the road closer to my backyard, and I'm not happy about it."
Brad Kerr, another resident on Hartwell Drive, was also not satisfied with what he saw Tuesday night. He has been following the project for several years now and said he preferred the City of Aiken's plan, which was provided at the last meeting as an alternative option.
The city's plan didn't impact the residents as much as it did the commercial sector and SCDOT's plan does the opposite, Kerr said.
He added that he's unhappy with the right-of-way, stating he could lose about 7 feet of his yard and is also concerned about safety.
Kerr cited an accident he said occurred several years ago when a truck lost control and crashed through his fence while his child was playing in the yard with a friend. He said the children were uninjured but shaken up.
"They ignored the city's plan," Kerr said. "I feel like SCDOT is shoving this plan down our throats."
Gantt said SCDOT is following the required distance between someone's property and the road by putting a 6-foot buffer between the two.
Gantt added that a retaining wall, which will be no taller than 5 feet, is proposed to be installed on both sides of Hartwell Drive, which he said will reduce the impact of right-of-way.
The comments will be reviewed and SCDOT will go to the Augusta Regional Transportation Study Policy Committee for approval.
Gantt said he did feel as if they got more positive feed back Tuesday than at their last meeting, which was held in May 2011.
The right-of-way acquisition could start as early as November, and construction is tentatively schedule to commence as early as January 2014.
Comments will still be accepted from the public regarding the project until Oct. 3. Visit www.scdot.org/inside/public_hearings.aspx.
Comments can be mailed to Kevin Gantt at PO Box 191, Columbia, SC 29202-0191. They can also be faxed at 803-737-1510 or emailed to GanttKl@scdot.org.![]()
The S.C. Department of Transportation held another public information meeting in regards to widening a portion of Silver Bluff Road in which dozens of residents living in the vicinity of the proposed project came to share their thoughts - both good and bad.
The plan, which suggests changing approximately a one and half mile two-lane section from Indian Creek Trail to Richardsons Lake Road, was printed on long sheets of paper rolled out onto tables Tuesday evening at Town Creek Baptist Church for residents to view.
SCDOT staff was on hand to answer any questions, and residents left written comments that will later be reviewed.
The project proposes that the two travel lanes be approximately 12 feet and the median 15 feet. There will be a 2-foot curb and around 6 feet of right-of-way, according to SCDOT.
This plan has been in the works since 2007 and was proposed to improve traffic operations on the busy road.
Some residents were OK with what they saw Tuesday night.
Tina Strohmeier was pleased to see that a stoplight at the intersection of Richardsons Lake. A traffic signal will not only help her and her neighbors get onto Silver Bluff safely but help the other neighborhoods down the road, as well, by slowing traffic.
She was also glad that SCDOT wasn't going with its original plan of five lanes, which was changed after residents expressed concern with how a project of that size was going to affect their properties.
"It's pretty good. They are not wasting space by making lanes just because," she said. "It will work, right now."
Working right now is what concerns Jack Hunter of Gem Lakes, who is also for the plan but feels there needs to be at least four lanes. With the population growing along an already busy road, he said, traffic will only going get worse and four lanes could deter congestion issues of larger traffic volumes in the future.
"I'd be OK with a bigger plan than this," Hunter said. "It's inevitable if you have growth, you have to have infrastructure growth, too. But the plan will be beneficial. It will be for the greater good."
One resident, Nancy Hansen of Richardsons Lake Road, was OK with the project but upset when she saw that the bike path and walkways that were once proposed were removed from the concept plan.
"It's a very unsafe road to walk or bike on," Hansen said. "The vision of the future should be to make it safer and easier to get out of our cars and build our community ties."
SCDOT program manager Kevin Gantt said the bike path and walkways were taken out of the plan because it lessened the impact of the right-of-way.
Other residents didn't feel too good about the plan at all, and most of them expressed concerns about safety.
"My biggest concern is my grandchildren playing in the yard," said Linda Proctor, who lives in Gem Lakes on Hartwell Drive. "They're moving the road closer to my backyard, and I'm not happy about it."
Brad Kerr, another resident on Hartwell Drive, was also not satisfied with what he saw Tuesday night. He has been following the project for several years now and said he preferred the City of Aiken's plan, which was provided at the last meeting as an alternative option.
The city's plan didn't impact the residents as much as it did the commercial sector and SCDOT's plan does the opposite, Kerr said.
He added that he's unhappy with the right-of-way, stating he could lose about 7 feet of his yard and is also concerned about safety.
Kerr cited an accident he said occurred several years ago when a truck lost control and crashed through his fence while his child was playing in the yard with a friend. He said the children were uninjured but shaken up.
"They ignored the city's plan," Kerr said. "I feel like SCDOT is shoving this plan down our throats."
Gantt said SCDOT is following the required distance between someone's property and the road by putting a 6-foot buffer between the two.
Gantt added that a retaining wall, which will be no taller than 5 feet, is proposed to be installed on both sides of Hartwell Drive, which he said will reduce the impact of right-of-way.
The comments will be reviewed and SCDOT will go to the Augusta Regional Transportation Study Policy Committee for approval.
Gantt said he did feel as if they got more positive feed back Tuesday than at their last meeting, which was held in May 2011.
The right-of-way acquisition could start as early as November, and construction is tentatively schedule to commence as early as January 2014.
Comments will still be accepted from the public regarding the project until Oct. 3. Visit www.scdot.org/inside/public_hearings.aspx.
Comments can be mailed to Kevin Gantt at PO Box 191, Columbia, SC 29202-0191. They can also be faxed at 803-737-1510 or emailed to GanttKl@scdot.org.