BATESBURG-LEESVILLE, S.C. — New sidewalks are coming to Batesburg-Leesville next month. This comes eight years after town officials filed a grant application with SCDOT.
Since then, locals in Batesburg-Leesville have been walking on the edge, literally. Soon they'll have some more space.
"These sidewalks are being put in to allow people to get safely off the road and to have easy access through a commercial district of our town," Teddy Luckadoo, town manager said.
This is phase two of the project, which will be about a mile stretch along East Church Street. It's also a pricey penny.
Through grant money, SCDOT, Lexington County and Batesburg-Leesville are all chipping in to pay for the $849,000 project.
"You've got the engineering and design cost, you've got property easement acquisitions that you need to get that are a part of that, but also you've got storm water and wetland delineations and things like that," Luckadoo said.
By crossing two intersections, the sidewalk has to be ADA compliant too.
The town's manager says over the past few years, both population and car traffic has gone up, making this road more dangerous to walk on without a sidewalk.
"People are excited about this. We've been talking about it for a long time and so people are ready to see that sidewalk be put in," Luckadoo said.
According to the town's manager, by contract, this project must be completed by June 30, 2023.