‘Like a runway’: Columbia leaders look for ways to tame traffic on bustling Garners Ferry
Words used to describe parts of it include a “race track,” a “runway” and, simply, “terrifying.”
No, they aren’t referring to NASCAR’s Darlington Raceway. They are talking about Columbia’s Garners Ferry Road.
And while millions of dollars in improvement work are slated for parts of the high-traffic roadway next year, local leaders say they want to explore more ways to calm traffic and make the area safer and more conducive for pedestrians and cyclists.
Garners Ferry is a bustling thoroughfare in the southeastern part of Columbia and Richland County, one that begins at the intersection of Wildcat Road and Rosewood Drive not far from downtown and winds all the way out into Lower Richland.
It is one of the busiest non-interstate roads in the Columbia area, with state Department of Transportation statistics showing that more than 50,000 cars per day travel down the stretch of Garners Ferry just south of Interstate 77. For comparison, that’s well more than the 29,000 cars per day that travel Harbison Boulevard in the busy shopping district that includes Columbiana Centre mall and oodles of other stores, restaurants and theaters.
And traffic counts have been on the rise along Garners Ferry. For instance, the stretch of the road near the Woodhill shopping center that includes Target and other national retailers saw nearly 42,600 cars per day in 2020, per state data. That rose to 44,300 cars per day in 2021, and then jumped to 46,200 cars per day in 2022.
The Garners Ferry corridor connects residents from Columbia and across the state to valuable resources, such as the Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center. It’s a major artery to and from the capital city from the various communities of Lower Richland and Sumter. And it is lined with scores of businesses, with national retailers such as Walmart, Lowe’s, Chick-fil-A and countless others. And there are more on the way. For instance, trendy to-go coffee shop Scooter’s is currently under construction at 7808 Garners Ferry.
“I think Garners Ferry Road is a critical road for the Midlands, and it is also a critical road for my area,” said Richland County Councilwoman Chakisse Newton, whose District 11 begins roughly where Garners Ferry meets Wildcat Road and stretches southeast out into Lower Richland. “It is really one of two main, central thoroughfares that most people use. Garners Ferry is one, and Leesburg Road is the other. Of course, Garners Ferry Road gets more traffic.”
‘A huge thoroughfare’
Like so many roads across the Palmetto State, Garners Ferry can be a bumpy, patchy ride. But help is on the way along some of the busiest parts of the road.
According to state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Ginny Jones, a $4 million project is planned for a nearly 4-mile stretch that will begin on Millwood Avenue near Dreher High School, proceed southeast along Devine Street and continue up Garners Ferry Road to the area around Interstate 77. The project will include full-depth patching with a new riding surface, new pavement markings, and upgraded pedestrian ramps, SCDOT said. Work is set to begin in the spring of 2024 and would likely be completed next summer, the transportation department said.
Democratic state Rep. Heather Bauer’s District 75 includes large swaths of Garners Ferry Road. She said, going forward, she wants to explore ways to slow traffic on the road, which can, at times, seem like a “race track.”
“It’s a huge thoroughfare for people, but I’m interested in slowing things down a bit,” Bauer said. “It’s a like a runway for cars. Very dangerous. I’ve ridden my bike down there. I used to do volunteer work at an animal shelter way down Garners Ferry, and I (rode my bike) one time and I was like, ‘Hell no.’ I’ll never do that again.
“So, the whole idea, in my eyes, is always to make it more pedestrian-friendly and looking at ways to calm the traffic.”
Newton said she once, as an experiment, crossed Garners Ferry Road on foot, not too far from where it meets Interstate 77. She called the experience “terrifying.”
“I think we absolutely need to make it more pedestrian-friendly,” the second-term councilwoman said.
Columbia City Councilman Will Brennan’s District 3 includes parts of Garners Ferry Road. Brennan, who recently was named chairman of the board at the Central Midlands Council of Governments, said Garners Ferry is “the main artery” that feeds into and out of Columbia, and that traffic seems to be ever-growing on the roadway.
He agreed with Bauer that he’d love to see a plan that would slow traffic on the thoroughfare.
“It’s got the feeling of a highway,” Brennan said. “I’d like to see a focus on traffic-calming, making it more pedestrian-friendly, more bicycle-friendly. That’s definitely something we need to take a look at. At the Central Midlands (Council of Governments) we are working with DOT on some of that planning currently, on Leesburg and Garners Ferry. That’s just getting kicked off.
“But, that’s just planning. Getting the funding for it, we’ve got to take a look at where that is and how we can work that out.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 11:47 AM.
