This busy Columbia thoroughfare is about to be under construction. How to weigh in
An average of more than 21,000 vehicles a day travel the stretch of Millwood Avenue between Gervais and Devine streets, connecting Columbia’s southeast neighborhoods to the city center.
But the road needs work – both because of the heavy traffic it carries and because it is a hotspot for crashes, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
The department began looking at possible improvements in 2019, at the time citing three pedestrian deaths in four years on the busy street. The deaths led neighbors to rally for a new pedestrian crossing, but DOT has no way to know how many pedestrians are using it, according to previous reporting from The State.
Now, SCDOT is planning several updates to the roadway, which could include signals, new signage and sidewalk improvements. But first, the agency wants to hear from the residents who travel the road each day.
On Oct. 9, the department is hosting a public meeting to share information about possible improvements to the roughly 1.5 mile stretch of road between two of Columbia’s busiest corridors. The department is also taking questions and comments through an online form, which will be open until Oct. 24. The meeting will take place at Martin Luther King Jr. Park at 2300 Greene Street, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The improvements have been long-desired, and the department of transportation has made it a priority to create a safer roadway after conducting an assessment in the fall of 2023.
Construction on the project could begin by 2027, according to the department’s online project map.
