PONTIAC, S.C. — Development of homes and businesses continues in and around Spears Creek Church Road in Richland County.
“I'm happy with the business but not with the traffic," says Pontiac resident, Levon Anderson.
He moved to the area three years ago and has seen the explosion of new construction.
One of the new developments is a strip plaza, the developer says they are slated to open in January or February.
There are also new townhomes under construction near Cornelia Street and Jacobs Mill Pond Road.
The most recent sign of growth came from the August 15th Columbia City Council meeting where the first reading was approved for a new zoning proposal for 34 acres of land to be a residential mix allowing for homes and businesses to be built.
“It's good to have the businesses here as we discussed but it sure is creating a traffic jam,” adds Anderson.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has addressed the traffic concerns with the growth in the area as they are now restricting drivers from making left turns at the Spears Creek Church Road and I-20 intersection between 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. during peak driving hours.
Levon says he knows they are working on addressing traffic, but he thinks more will have to be done as more people come, “they will run out of room to put stuff up here soon but the traffic is going to be pretty bad so hopefully we can come up with other ways to address it,”.
Richland County will also be using its Penny Transportation Tax program as an effort to widen the road.