COLUMBIA, S.C. — The effects of the deadly flooding in 2015 can still be seen in Columbia today. However, a neighborhood near Leesburg Road is hoping to move on from the damage now that their street has reopened.
A part of Rawlinson Road that crosses over Lake Trotwood and Ulmer Pond has been closed for nearly seven years. When the 2015 flood hit the Columbia neighborhood, houses were spared, but the street wasn’t. The dam underneath it collapsed and wasn’t fixed for years.
“The water just came half way up my backyard, that’s all,” recalled resident Linda Sue Ewing. Neighbor Tom Holloway said the floods reached his patio, but his house luckily wasn't damaged. However, with the road closed, both Ewing and Holloway had longer commutes for years.
“Instead of going right here to the Food Lion, you have to go down to Trotter Road,” explained Holloway. However, that longer route is in the past, and Rawlinson Road is back open after repairs were made to the dam and pavement.
Local officials like Representative Jermain Johnson worked with SCDOT and the homeowner’s association to get the work done.
“Let today stand as the new beginning going forward,” Johnson said at the ribbon cutting for the reopened road Friday.
Ewing is flooded with relief that construction is finally finished but worries it could lead to an influx of traffic. “My street stayed very quiet. Now with this open, we will get all those cut throughs again because it's shorter to get to the Food Lion,” said Ewing.
While the crossing may get flooded with cars, SCDOT officials are confident the new dam underneath will be able to withstand not only that, but flooded waters too.