COLUMBIA, S.C. — If you have ever driven along South Assembly Street near Whaley Street, chances are you have been stopped by a train -- or two, if you catch a second one at the Rosewood Drive crossing. If you're lucky, your wait might just be a couple of minutes, but sometimes you can be stalled for much longer as trains stop on the tracks blocking traffic.
Since 2018, South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has partnered with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to look at ways to alleviate traffic issues associated with frequent freight train movement along South Assembly and the surrounding neighborhoods in Columbia. The proposed Assembly Street Railroad Separation Project offers options for roadway and rail improvements, including rail and rail crossing separations in the study area bounded by Blossom Street to the north, Pickens Street to the east, the Norfolk Southern rail line 1.1 miles southeast of Rosewood Drive towards Andrews Yard, and Catawba Circle/Heyward Street/Dreyfuss Road/Assembly Street to the west.
SCDOT is holding an in-person meeting 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, at 701 Whaley so the public can review the project and its reasonable alternatives and designs and make comments.
The railroad separation project is still in the preliminary planning phase that will serve as identifying a preferred alternative route for the project design. Public comments will be taken from December 11 ,2024, to January 11, 2025.
To learn more about the Assembly Street Railroad Separation Project, you can access information online or contact Joey McIntyre, Project Manager, SCDOT, 955 Park Street, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-737-1842 or McIntyreJD@scdot.org
