BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. — With electric vehicle manufacturer Scout Motors planning to bring nearly 4,000 jobs to Blythewood, officials are preparing for a population boom that could transform the area.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is working on a new interchange at Exit 26 on I-77 aimed at reducing traffic congestion and supporting local business growth.
“Currently, Blythewood traffic is rough,” said Marc Cohen, a local worker.
SCDOT and local officials see the interchange as essential to handling the expected growth, including a connector road from the proposed Exit 26 to U.S. 21, designed to alleviate pressure on Blythewood Road and Exit 27.
“I think that's a brilliant idea, to be honest with you, because our current infrastructure on Blythewood Road at 27, we can’t handle the traffic we have right now, let's just be honest,” said Blythewood Mayor Sloan J. Griffin III.
Griffin added that he hopes the interchange will bring more business to the area.
“That new corridor will serve as another possible Blythewood Road, so I am currently working with the county to zone some of those areas so we can have restaurants, some store fronts, and those things, not as much fast food but some nice sit down restaurants in there. So, we are working aggressively to work on that as they are working developing that corridor."
However, Griffin noted that while the interchange will help, it won’t resolve all traffic issues in the town. “Will it fix the overall congestion problem? No. I think we still have a lot of work to do on our roads in town,” he said.
SCDOT has not provided a completion date for the interchange.
According to SCDOT’s website, other projects in the area include widening northbound I-77 from south of the proposed interchange to Blythewood Road, as well as improvements along Community Road.
Griffin added that additional construction on Blythewood Road is set to resume on Nov. 17, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., with work expected to last several days.