BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. — Residents will soon get road relief driving through the streets of Blythewood.
After years of complaints, Blythewood Town Council is adding traffic lights to the intersection of Syrup Mill Road and Blythewood Road.
Residents are cheering following the start of this construction at the beginning of June.
"My opinion about the stoplight, I think it will be great," Michelle Strother, Blythewood resident said.
Locals say this intersection was a blind spot in the town's master plan for road improvements, so they brought it to council's attention.
"We're very happy that when the school year starts back up, we'll have it, because that makes a huge difference during the school year trying to get out in the mornings to get the kids to school or picking them up in the afternoons. It can be very hairy and scary just trying to get out there when traffic's not coming from both ways and avoid an accident," Jacqulyn Lewis, Blythewood resident said.
"I had several meetings with residents in Cobblestone and other residents who travel through that intersection and after seeing numerous accidents, we want to make sure that we do our part here to ensure safety," Sloan Griffin, Blythewood council member said.
Councilman Sloan Griffin has taken a lead over this project, saying he's just doing his job by listening. SCDOT is supplying all the funding, about $71,000, which is technically cheaper than normal because the signal uses wood poles. A more typical installation with steel poles would be around $100,000 to $150,000 depending on the location and traffic control need.
"They pulled accident data from the intersection, they polled traffic with traffic meters to get car counts in that intersection and at the end of the day, it met that threshold," Griffin said.
This project is all in the name of safer tread for your tires.
Traffic crews are working on the wiring of the traffic lights right now. Councilman Griffin tells News 19 it should be finished by the end of the month.
Other road projects expected to begin at the start of 2023 include McNulty Street improvements, an extension to Creech Road, straightening Blythewood Road to Langford Road, and widening Blythewood Road from two lanes to four coming back toward I-77.