It’s the second worst traffic headache in Lexington County, and it’s a beast

Editor’s note: Editor’s note: The State this week is looking at the five worst traffic headaches in Lexington County. Today is No. 2: U.S. 378 near River Bluff High School. We’re not including in this series Columbia’s infamous Malfunction Junction — the merger of I-26, I-20 and I-126 — because state transportation officials are preparing to start work next year on fixing that area.

On Thanksgiving Day, check out Lexington County’s worst traffic headache.

The No. 5 problem was Columbia Avenue in Chapin.

The No. 4 problem was U.S. 378 around Lexington Medical Center.

The No. 3 problem was the half-mile stretch where U.S. 378 and S.C. 6 run together in Lexington.

The problem

Chad Jones dreads taking his daughter to River Bluff High School next year, although his apprehension isn’t related to the school itself.

It’s the traffic that backs up nearby.

“I’m not looking forward to that,” he said. “Lexington has gotten too big too quick.”

Traffic to and from River Bluff along with two other schools nearbycontributes significantly to one of the most congested intersections in the Columbia area – where Corley Mill Road and Ginny Lane meet U.S. 378 a block west of I-20.

The bottleneck mushroomed since 2011 with the opening of the three schools on roads that feed into the intersection – River Bluff on Corley Mill along with Meadow Glen Middle and Meadow Glen Elementary on Ginny Lane.

About 39,500 vehicles travel the intersection daily,an increase of 3,000 since 2006, state traffic counts show.

Backups are common at the intersection, particularly during the morning and afternoon rush hours. The problems are many:

▪ Traffic can creep along on the westbound exit ramp off I-20.

▪ Mile-long back-ups are common on Corley Mill before school starts in the morning and when classes end in mid-afternoon. Commuters en route to work often mix with vehicles headed to the school.

▪ Similar backups, although shorter, occur on Ginny Lane when classes start and finish at the two schools located side-by-side.

Michael Hood, an engineer at the state Department of Transportation, leaves his home in a neighborhood off Corley Mill a half-hour early to avoid the congestion that develops before the schools open at 7:30 a.m.

“It can be a beast getting out of there, especially in the morning,” he said.

What’s been done

Extra right- and left-turn lanes were added at the intersection in spring 2014, six months after River Bluff opened. Town police directed traffic for eight months to assure vehicles headed to the three schools could turn until the lanes were finished.

Town officials put new digital signals at the intersection in early 2016 so lights on U.S. 378 stay green longer when traffic is heavy.

The fix planned

Town leaders have a plan to ease the bottleneck further, but parts of the plan will take at least five years to complete. Conditions will surely worsen before improving.

The fix is still on the drawing board – two new roads off Corley Mill to divert traffic away from the intersection. Town Mayor Steve MacDougall calls them “relief valves.”

The price tag for the roads is $17.5 million, paid for by a mix of revenue from the town meal tax and property taxes from new homes, apartments, a senior living center and stores on Corley Mill across from River Bluff.

One road extending a quarter-mile would be built parallel to U.S. 378 and would have multiple lanes for westbound traffic only coming from all roads at the intersection.

The other new road would cross over I-20 and would be reserved for traffic headed east toward Lexington Medical Center, West Columbia and Columbia.

Jones suggests a more radical solution even though it would affect his career as a real estate agent. “Maybe we should look at putting limits on the number of homes that can be built on some of these roads,” he said.

Lexington County and town leaders are discussing an agreement that would limit further development in the area until the two new roads are open, County Councilman Darrell Hudson of Lexington said.

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 8:49 AM with the headline "It’s the second worst traffic headache in Lexington County, and it’s a beast."