COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia City Council Tuesday is set to approve a $4.8 million road safety overhaul project in Five Points aimed at improving safety for pedestrians and bike riders.
The project has been in the works for years to reduce crashes in what a state safety audit shows, is one of the most dangerous corridors in South Carolina.
According to South Carolina Department of Transportation, there were more than 200 car crashes from 2013 to 2018.
"We’ve seen an uptick in motorists coming through neighborhoods especially motorists speeding, and it’s become an issue," said City Councilmember Will Brennan.
Brennan represents the Five Points Neighborhood. He said improvements will include flashing yellow arrow traffic signals, restriction of right turns on red, upgraded pedestrian crosswalk markings, ADA ramp improvements, raised concrete medians and new curb radius bump-outs.
"We look forward to widening the sidewalks, wider areas for restaurants space, just more pedestrian friendly in general," said Brennan.
Brennan said The project was made possible by a partnership between DOT, the Federal Highway Administration, the city of Columbia engineering, planning and police, the University of South Carolina Police, the Palmetto Cycling Coalition and the Five Points Association.
The project also calls for reducing the the number of lanes on Harden Street from Devine Street to Blossom street and on Devine Street from Harden Street to Saluda Avenue.
Improving safety is important to business owners like James McCallister, owner of Loose Lucy's.
"I want our customers safe and if slowing traffic down and things like that will achieve that, I'm for it," said McCallister.
McCallister added he worries how construction might disrupt business.
"The danger is a project like this being so disruptive to business while it’s going on, that we all start losing money. We’ve been through that before down here," said McCallister.
However, Brennan noted the city planned construction during the spring and summer, when college student's are gone.
"We don’t want to disturb businesses too much because it is gonna shut down portions of 6-7 block of Harden street and Devine and blossom street," said Brennan.
for years, McCallister said he and other business owners have been pushing for a parking garage in the district to reduce traffic.
"Every day at lunch time, it’s the loop around, loop around, loop around," said McCallister.
Construction is set to start next spring and could take five to six months to complete.