LEXINGTON, S.C. — The Lexington town hall was packed Wednesday evening as the public was invited to learn more about the latest plans for the $36 million Corley Mill Gateway Project, also known as the Sunset Split.
Large, laminated maps showed the latest proposed routes, and residents and business owners posed questions to town staff.
The project aims to alleviate traffic and congestion on Highway 378 by splitting the east- and westbound traffic lanes and making a portion of those lanes one-way only.
The project would also change how Corley Mill Road and Riverchase Way connect to Highway 378.
Lexington Director of Transportation Randy Edwards said the meeting's purpose was to update the public on the project and prepare them for upcoming changes.
"This is the beginning of a process where we educate the public on what the project looks like and what the process is going to be over the next couple of years," Edwards said. "The biggest concern is change. 'Why is it this way?' and understanding the whole project as it impacts what we call the Sunset Strip corridor and how you address traffic through that corridor. So, this proposal that we see here tonight is what we see addressing traffic into 2045, 2050, and beyond."
While several people attended the meeting out of curiosity, most were residents and business owners who wanted to see exactly how the new lanes would impact their properties.
Charles Crouch lives off Riverchase Way and will be directly impacted by the Sunset Split project. He said the current plan needs some adjustment.
“This is probably one of the better ideas, but it can be tweaked, needs to be tweaked a little bit. Riverchase is getting moved. We’re kind of getting dumped to go around the elbow to get to 378. I think it’s going to create a little bit of a problem for the fire station," Crouch said.
Crouch credited the council with at least trying to address the area's traffic congestion.
“I do give the town credit for trying to make some correction here. Corley Mill moves a lot of cars. They’re skirting around town to try to get to (Interstate) 20. So, it’s almost become a bypass to the town of Lexington,” Crouch said.
Director Edwards said that not everyone will be completely satisfied with the final design.
"There are going to be some major impacts,” he said. "While we’ve tried to avoid most residences and businesses, there will be changes."
Once SCDOT approves the final design, the town will proceed to the next step: appraising and purchasing the land needed to proceed. Town leaders hope to begin construction in early 2026 and finish by 2028.