LEXINGTON, S.C. — On Tuesday, the Town of Lexington leaders announced secured funding for improving the Corley Mill Road intersection at Sunset Boulevard, one of the busiest thoroughfares in Lexington.
According to research conducted by the town's transportation staff, this intersection sees around 50,000 cars traveling through per day. The hustle and bustle of the Corley Mill intersection has always raised safety concerns for residents and drivers alike. Now, the Town of Lexington is promising to dedicate $36 million to the improvement of these roads.
“This is a big win for our citizens to get this project fully funded. It's been years coming. We've been working on it since 2015, and it just feels good. I think one of the worst first things I told you when I was sworn in the office was that the number one challenge was going to be traffic. So this is a huge win, and I'm just beside myself with excitement." said Town of Lexington Mayor, Hazel Livingston.
The Town of Lexington has been working on the Corley Mill Gateway project since 2015. According to the Town’s Director of Transportation, Randy Edwards, two phases of the project are already complete, with the next phase being the 'Sunset Split.'
“The split itself is unique in that it will, in fact, move traffic," Edwards explained. "The signals you know will work more efficiently, and therefore, you know, you, as the driver, will get more green time, and that equates to more throughput and opens that area up to just a better level of service, which is a term we use to measure traffic efficiency...This is the third piece, officially, because we built Ginny Lane. The widening of Ginny Lane was part of the project, and we improved the I-20 exit and the 61 off-ramps."
The improvement project promises to create new access points to Corley Mill Road and Riverchase Drive and split the eastbound and westbound traffic on Highway 378.
The project will cost $36 million, with funding coming from Hospitality Tax Dollars, Corley Mill Tiff District funds, and State money.
Construction is projected to start in late 2025, with expected completion sometime in 2027.
The town will post more information about the updated redesign for the project on a website that will be live on June 25.
Then, the town will also host a public input meeting as well to answer questions about the project on July 10 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Town Hall on 111 Maiden Lane.