What will big SC road expansion, bypass mean for small-town Chapin?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- DOT will widen Columbia Ave, add two new roads and a bypass-like connector.
- Bids open April 14; utility moves/resurfacing start June–July; work through 2029.
- Residents and officials debate property loss, access, sidewalks, safety and funding.
It was standing room only at Mt. Horeb Lutheran Church Thursday as Chapin residents contemplated the impact of adding two new roads to their town.
At least a hundred people crowded into a meeting room at the church as local leaders and the S.C. Department of Transportation laid out plans for the expansion of Columbia Avenue between Interstate 26 and the construction of a new bypass route around the town.
DOT previously announced major roadway improvements coming to the Columbia Avenue corridor and downtown Chapin. The planned roadwork is aimed at improving safety, easing traffic congestion and helping ease the pains of a growing community.
In addition to widening the main thoroughfare connecting Chapin and the interstate, the project will include the construction of two new roadways, a new roundabout, additional travel lanes, and enhanced pedestrian features.
The new roads will run behind Chapin High School, with one originating at Columbia Avenue just past the high school and before reaching East Boundary Street, and the other starting at Amicks Ferry Road just north of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church. The second road will then cross over Lexington Avenue and Chapin Road before connecting with the first road at a planned roundabout where East Boundary meets Stonewall Court.
The new roads and added lanes introduce more options for drivers trying to get to Amicks Ferry Road, while also improving access to the high school and its athletic facilities. It will also create a bypass between Amicks Ferry, which stretches down toward newer home developments around Lake Murray, and the Columbia Avenue connector with I-26, avoiding a drive through downtown Chapin.
Thursday’s public forum was the latest opportunity for residents to learn about the project before construction begins later this year. As the start date approaches, interest in the project and its impact has increased.
“The last meeting like this we had before it was finalized, we had 10 people come,” DOT Commissioner Bill Dukes told the crowd at Mt. Horeb on Thursday, before the gathering broke up into smaller groups to examine maps and hear from representatives of the transportation department. Some residents still had concerns.
“We’re concerned that the beauty and charm of the capital of Lake Murray be preserved,” said the Rev. Ron Philabaum, pastor at Mt. Horeb. “Our cemetery is right out here where the bypass comes out.”
Between $75 million and $80 million has already been spent on the project, said Lexington County Councilwoman Charli Wessinger. The Central Midlands Council of Governments has put an additional $41 million to complete the project, she said.
“Lexington County initiated it, and it’s ping-ponged back and forth for years,” Wessinger said. “The town of Chapin has been involved with it, deciding where the road would go.”
Program manager Joey McIntyre said bids for the project will open April 14, and residents should start seeing roadwork done in June or July, when crews will begin relocating roadside utilities and doing resurfacing work on Columbia Avenue. DOT also plans to create more sidewalks and landscaped medians as part of this downtown improvement project.
The planned changes are still causing unease with some residents. Leisha Huffstetler said her aunt’s house on Amicks Ferry will lose much of its front yard to the roadway as part of the work.
“If she steps 20 feet out her front door she’ll be in the road,” Huffstetler said. “She’ll lose 90% of her front yard.”
Construction is expected to continue until 2029. Drivers are urged to remain patient and cautious as crews work in and around downtown Chapin.
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