LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — Residents are cautiously optimistic that a new roundabout could stop crashes along a street in rural Lexington County.
For Olin Davis, driving through the intersection at Boiling Springs and Bethany Church Roads is a daily hurdle and one that brings fear. He recalls being involved in a crash there 2 years ago while driving back from work.
"It took me a couple weeks to get back to where I could be mobile, and about six months before I could actually go back to work," he says, "I've seen a handful of accidents in that intersection over the last few years."
According to Tim Gemensky, an engineer at SCDOT, the intersection had 24 crashes during a six-year study, grabbing the attention of the department.
"23 of them were angle crashes, which is the most severe. We also had one fatality."
On Thursday the department held a public comment session to hear from members of the public and announce the future installation of a roundabout at the intersection. Gemensky says it's a 1.5-2 million dollar project that will be paid for by federal money.
"Putting this roundabout in is going to help with several things. First, reducing the fatality crashes and the serious injuries, but also slow the cars down because people were going down boiling springs so fast all the time constantly." He adds that the roundabout has more benefits, especially cost-effective ones, adding, "It'll also be lit up at night so you'll be able to see the intersection coming up. We'll also be clearing the trees out so people on the side streets will be able to see better and make better decisions."
Dex Goodwin and his family live just a few homes away from the intersection and say getting into a crash is a fear every time they leave the house.
"I've seen wrecks at the intersection and I'm close enough that I can actually hear them."
He's hopeful the change will bring some much-needed relief to their family. He says, "Something definitely needed to be done. The area is growing up fast, very quickly. So obviously a lot more traffic, something needs to be done, this is just the best solution I guess."
SCDOT tells us the project is set to begin in the winter of 2024. For more on the project and to track development, you can visit SCDOT's project website.