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The walk-bike path on the Lake Murray Dam is getting a lot of use, even before it's officially opened. Pedestrians have flocked to the dam for a unique walking experience.
Posted on Fri, Mar. 28, 2008
Lake Murray Dam | A walk across the water
Lanes let walkers, bikers go between Irmo, Lexington sides
By JOEY HOLLEMAN - jholleman@thestate.com
Get ready for the newest recreation sensation in the Midlands — the Lake Murray dam.
The pedestrian lane on the new dam-crossing road will open new avenues for exercise, or simply appreciating a beautiful sunset.
“It’s awesome,” said Betsy Buck, an Irmo resident who walked the nearly four-mile round-trip on one recent Sunday with her husband. “This could kick Columbia in gear for outdoor exercise. I love the potential.”
The demand is obvious. Officially, the lane isn’t complete. But nearly every weekend for the past month, someone has pushed the “Road Closed” signs aside early each day, and crowds have walked, jogged or biked across the dam. Many, like the Bucks, have no idea they aren’t supposed to be there.
“I rode my bike on the road this morning and saw people walking,” Rob Buck said. “I told (my wife) we had to go out and try it.”
The four-lane S.C. 6, along with the striped bike lane, opened across the dam last week, but some finishing touches remain on the pedestrian lane, said Thad Brunson, district engineer with the S.C. Department of Transportation.
A metal railing is being installed to ensure people don’t slip into a shallow gutter on the lake side of the walkway. It could be two weeks before it’s finished, Brunson said.
The vista from the dam is a notch below the view of downtown Charleston and the beaches from the Ravenel Bridge. But the dam walkway has two big advantages — easy parking on either side and no heebie-jeebies for people with a fear of heights.
The SCE&G beach is on the Lexington side of the dam, and a boat launch is on the Irmo side. Parking is free at the boat launch during winter months, through April 1. Fees the rest of the year in both parking lots are $3 for cars, $2 for motorcycles, $5 for buses and $45 for a season pass.
The Irmo-side parking is closer to the pedestrian lane, making the round trip about 3.5 miles. It’s about 4 miles if you start in the beach parking lot.
A 3-foot-high concrete barrier separates the pedestrian lane from vehicle traffic (with the bike lane as an extra cushion). The old metal barrier on the lake side of the walkway is low enough to give adults an unimpeded view of the lake. The Columbia skyline about 12 miles away looms on the other horizon.
No specific rules are planned for the pedestrian lane’s usage, Brunson said. Serious cyclists should stick to the bike lane, but slow-moving cyclists can use the pedestrian lane. At about 8 feet wide, there’s room for bikes to safely pass walkers.
Reach Holleman at (803) 771-8366.
