LEXINGTON, S.C. — Larry Hiebert lives along Calks Ferry and says SCDOT "covers up cracks and budding pot holes, but that's just temporary," he said. "We need a whole redo of Calks Ferry... and it needs to be addressed sooner than later."
Drivers say people are always speeding on the road. Hiebert says he's concerned about people passing on the double-yellow line and going around stopped school buses.
"It's going to fall apart. The way the funding goes to repair roads in the state is terrible. We're going to be like a New York City with potholes," explained Hiebert.
The area is not considered to be residential, but there are quite a few homes along Calks Ferry. There is a concern for safety of children playing in front yards along the heavily trafficked roadway.
Darrell Hudson, a councilman for Lexington County, says he's received a lot of calls about this particular road.
“Calks Ferry Road is not the only problem we have in Lexington. Quite frankly, most of the roads in Lexington are deteriorating and falling apart,” said Hudson.
Hudson says the population growth in the county is too much for the roads to handle. The District 2 councilman says back roads are being more frequently traveled because of the congestion on the main roadways.
“Calks Ferry has become a cut through to get away from the traffic coming out of Batesburg trying to get to the interstate because the traffic is so awful,” explained Hudson.
The councilman believes 18-wheelers and heavy trucks traveling on the back roads are causing the roads to be torn up.
Hudson has several different solutions he would like to see happen. He wants to extend turning lanes, add additional exits and add more timed stoplights.
The councilman says he’s pleaded with state legislatures to help fix the roads in Lexington.
“(SCDOT) does a quick fix with potholes, but with almost thirty inches of rain since September that pothole doesn’t cure enough,” said Hudson.
When it comes to speeding on the roadways, the councilman says it’s hard for the police to monitor drivers who are speeding when they’re being called to wrecks. Hudson says more stoplights along that road will help fix the issue.
Hudson says the state should fix the roads.
“If it’s a South Carolina road, it’s SCDOT’s responsibility. If it’s a county road, it’s our responsibility,” explained Hudson.
Calks Ferry is not on SCDOT's 2019 Project Prioritization list of roads scheduled for paving or improvement.
While the numbers specifically for the almost 19-mile stretch of road between US-378 and US-178 were unavailable, the latest SCDOT compilation of motor vehicle traffic collisions in Lexington County from 2017 shows that in that year, there were 8,297 total collisions:
- 44 fatal collisions, with 47 fatalities
- 2,181 collisions with injuries; 3,324 people injured
- 6,072 collisions with personal damage only
Of these collisions, 2,608 occurred on secondary roads such as Calks Ferry.
According to data from the SC Department of Public Safety, in 2017 and 2018, there were a total of 50 collisions on Calks Ferry Road between US-378 and US-178. In those accidents, there were 2 fatalities and 36 people were injured; 27 of the collisions resulted in property damage only.
Media outlets covered these crashes along Calks Ferry Road in Lexington County:
- October 22, 2018: 3 p.m.,a collision between a car and an 18-wheeler where a child is thrown from car on impact
- March 13, 2018: a Lexington school bus is involved in a crash at 1650 Calks Ferry
- January 5, 2018: 2 a.m., in the 2800 block of Calks Ferry, a car hits tree, driver fatality, a passenger in hospital with life threatening injuries
- December 15, 2017: 7 a.m., one car crossed center line and hit another vehicle head-on, driver that crossed fatal, other driver hospital
- June 3, 2016: an accident at the intersection of Calks Ferry and Pond Branch
- August 27, 2014: early morning at the intersection of US-178 and Calks Ferry, a tractor-trailer versus Ford Focus; a passenger in Focus died at the scene, both drivers were transported to a local hospital
- February 6, 2012: 8:30 p.m., Calks Ferry near US-378, a teen hit was by car while trying to remove an injured deer
- January 11, 2012: 8 a.m., fatal accident at the intersection of James Dunbar and Calks Ferry.
You can reach out to the Lexington Street Squad on Facebook.