Aiken County residents likely will encounter major road construction on University Parkway within the next several years as Aiken City officials are beginning to make headway on several millions of dollars in infrastructure changes to the road.
The current project includes widening University Parkway from the intersection at Richland Avenue to the intersection at Robert M. Bell Parkway.
Currently, University Parkway operates between a two-lane and three-lane roadway; some parts widen to four lanes.
Proposed improvements to the area include widening the road to be more consistent with traffic to and from the USC Aiken and Aiken Regional Medical Centers area.
A five-lane section is proposed from Richland Avenue to Physicians Drive, then it will transition to a divided four-lane section to Medical Park Drive.
The remainder of the road to Robert M. Bell Parkway would include a divided three-lane section, with additional changes including the addition of bicycle lanes, concrete curb and gutter and sidewalks.
The most visible change will occur at the entrance into the Trolley Run subdivision.
Interim City Manager Roger LeDuc said developers are expecting 5,000 more homes to be built inside the subdivision, meaning around 10,000 new residents moving in.
The City is proposing to put a stoplight at the entrance of the Trolley Run Station, and instead of drivers turning left or right to make their way to University Parkway, a road would be constructed at the light, allowing drivers to make a straight shot through to the area.
The City also is proposing that instead of a stoplight connecting Trolley Line Road and University Parkway, a roundabout be put in, helping the flow of traffic.
Because of this construction, the road to the left of the Trolley Run subdivision would be deleted, and instead allowed to be turned into green space, according to LeDuc.
LeDuc said most of that property is owned by USCA, which reportedly has plans to "beautify" the greenspace.
The City will go before the subcommittee of the Augusta Regional Transportation Study today, asking the subcommittee to amend the 2035 long-range transportation plan and fiscal year 2015-18 transportation-improvement program to include the University Parkway widening project by adding $10.6 million in funds - $4.6 million provided by the state and $6 million provided by the City of Aiken and Aiken County.
Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.