Lexington paving way for another major road repair

Lexington Town Hall is tackling another major road improvement even though it’s uncertain when the project could be done.

Town officials want to realign the intersection of Mineral Springs Road and U.S. 378, a source of significant traffic backups on both roads.

The plan would move Mineral Springs a few blocks east opposite Hope Ferry Road, creating a wider intersection on all sides to keep vehicles moving.

That project was the top road fix proposed in a package of improvements across Lexington County under a penny sales tax increase rejected in a 2014 referendum.

When the realignment would happen is uncertain since Town Hall doesn’t have money for it. But town leaders plan to design the project and start acquiring the route for it, to be ready when funding is available.

“It puts us in the driver’s seat to move it forward,” Mayor Steve MacDougall said.

Cost of realigning the road and widening the intersection that would be created is estimated at $10 million.

The project is becoming vital as more supermarkets and stores open on U.S. 378 near Mineral Springs and at Hope Ferry, officials said.

Backups are common at those two intersections, even with traffic signals in place, because of their proximity that MacDougall said produces “an accordion affect.”

About 35,000 vehicles travel through those intersections daily, according to state traffic counts.

The Mineral Springs realignment is the latest step by town leaders to ease traffic congestion in the steadily growing community of 25,000 residents with no state or federal aid on the horizon.

“We have to do it because nobody is facing the issue,” MacDougall said.

One community leader is happy with the prospect of eliminating another major traffic bottleneck.

“It’s probably as needed as any project we’ve got,” said Otis Rawl, president of the Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerce.

This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Lexington paving way for another major road repair."