New road extension opens to Richland County drivers
A new road in Richland County opened to drivers for the first time on Friday, and it could be a boon to economic development in the area.
The extension to Shop Road south of Columbia is now open to traffic between Pineview Road and Longwood Road.
The road connects to the Pineview Industrial Park, where the China Jushi manufacturing plant began producing fiberglass last month.
The Chinese-owned plant is the largest industrial project in Richland County’s history, with 800,00 square feet built at a cost of $400 million. Shop Road’s extension creates easier access to the plant.
Work on the mile-long roadway began in early 2017, as part of the county’s penny tax program approved by voters in 2012. It cost $35 million to complete. A second phase will continue Shop Road for another 3.6 miles from Longwood to Garners Ferry and Trotter roads, to be completed by 2023.
In total, both phases of the extension will cost $71.8 million.
This story was originally published July 30, 2019 at 2:10 PM.
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