BISHOPVILLE, S.C. — Efforts are underway in Lee County to make Bishopville more accessible for pedestrians and bikers, with a feasibility study revealing potential changes that could be on the horizon.
"When you get up here, the sidewalk's terrible, terrible," said Bishopville resident Jaime Arnold.
Arnold walks the sidewalks with her dog seven days a week. "Every day, every day if it ain't raining, I walk out here every day."
Now, the street Arnold frequents, West Cedar Lane, could be getting new sidewalks.
“The first few months of that process was looking at existing master plans that we've completed, doing site inventory and analysis, and that's where we looked at opportunities and constraints throughout the community as it relates to that pedestrians and bicycle connectivity," said Blake Sanders, a landscape architect with Studio Main, who presented the findings from a proposed pedestrian connectivity master plan. "And so those existing conditions of lack of crosswalks, lack of ADA detectable warning papers, lack of maintenance on the existing sidewalks were identified across the city. Then, we started to narrow down the focus of what actual implementation guidelines would look like."
The plan outlines over a mile of new sidewalks, recommending it start on East Church Road, continuing down North Lee Street, up to East Cedar Lane, passing the new train depot, and stretching down West Cedar Lane to Chappells Park.
It also proposes new asphalt and eight pedestrian intersection improvements.
If all the recommended improvements are completed, the project is estimated to cost $3.6 million.
The study suggests that the city could be eligible for several state and federal grants to fund the project.
"I think that's needed because, if it's all the way down there when you get around that curb up there, you definitely need a sidewalk," Arnold said.
While nothing has been officially voted on or approved, the matter could be discussed at the next city council meeting on October 1 at 5:30 p.m.