RICHLAND COUNTY, SC — Richland County has received two, back-to-back grants for sidewalks that will expand the number of available ramps in the suburbs for people using wheelchairs.

Work should start in the summer, public works director David Hoops said.

One of the state Department of Transportation grants will help pay for the construction of 3/4-mile of sidewalk along Rhame Road serving some 1,300 homes and two schools in The Summit.

All new sidewalks must comply with the 22-year-old Americans with Disabilities Act, Hoops said.

The other grant will update existing sidewalks at about 150 intersections scattered around the county. A state grant of $145,000 will be put together with $150,000 in county money to begin addressing intersections in unincorporated areas where residents have asked for ramps on sidewalks at crosswalks, he said.

“We want to make all our sidewalks ADA compliant,” interim administrator Tony McDonald said. “This is a first step in that direction.”

Hoops said Rhame Road was targeted for one of the $145,000 state grants because it’s a heavily residential area with lots of children who walk. The project will run from the intersection of Hillridge Way and Westridge Road past the entrance to the Summit schools to end at North Crossing Drive.

The DOT is managing the construction project, which will cost a total of $350,000.

Kimberly Tissot, director of the Disability Action Center, said having an accessible county allows more people to be more independent.

“It is extremely important ... for Richland County to be accessible so that people in wheelchairs, people who use any kind of walking aids, can have adequate space to maneuver,” she said.

“It’s great they’re getting grants and making improvements.”

Reach Hinshaw at (803) 771-8641.