COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has made a few changes to parts of Augusta Road that were part of the Interstate 20 Improvement Project after local drivers raised concerns.
Two drivers who frequent the area, Regina Allen and Robin Burns, said they don’t feel safe driving to and from their job, which is just off Augusta Road, after the SCDOT removed a center turn lane.
SCDOT told WIS News 10 the initial changes to the road were a result of parts of construction to the I-20 exit ramp as part of the larger improvement project.
But some drivers said these changes made the road more dangerous.
“You’ve got to cross this and you’ve got to cross that just to get over. Four lanes. It’s ridiculous,” Allen said.
In May, SCDOT took away the center lane, which was the same spot where Allen and several other coworkers had to make a left to merge onto the busy road.
“It’s like, okay, there may not have been enough deaths now, but how many deaths is it going to take for us to be safe? Or accidents?” Allen said.
“You’ve got to look at everybody in general. Not just for me, but because I work nearby. There’s other places, businesses, and stuff. And not just from right here, but from people going all over,” Burns said.
There’ve been 14 fatal collisions on Augusta Road between 2019 to 2023.
In that same timeframe, 288 wrecks and 62 people were injured in the portion of Augusta Road near Monroe Lane and the exit ramp for I-20.
When initially asked in May about removal to the intersection, an SCDOT spokesperson said the center lane would be replaced with a raised median to promote safety through the corridor.
And that there’s no requirement that a 4-lane road have a median based on dimensions of the road.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has made a few changes in design to parts of Augusta Road that were to I-20 Improvement Project. (WIS-TV)
But after requests for the 5-year collision records and reaching out to Lexington County Council members, SCDOT sent a follow-up saying: “Because of these modifications, SCDOT engineers have initiated a further review of this intersection.”
On July 15, after its review, SCDOT adjusted the plan and said: “The median will be returned to a two-way left turn lane.”
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has made a few changes in design to parts of Augusta Road that were a part of the I-20 Improvement Project. (WIS-TV)
SCDOT said it expects the final paving and new pavement markings for the two-way left turn lane to wrap by August.
Based on DOT data, more than 29,000 cars on average pass through the Augusta Road and Monroe Lane area of the highway every day.
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