Update on Silver Bluff Road

This is an excellent summary of a meeting held recently with SCDOT representatives regarding the Silver Bluff road project. It was prepared by Bill Busser of Gem Lakes who did an excellent job.

SCDOT scheduled a review meeting with the Mayor and included City and County Council members from along the Silver Bluff corridor. The Mayor also invited a small group of people from the area.

The majority of the time was spent discussing the installation of a traffic light at Town Creek and Silver Bluff. SCDOT said this item has had a lot of discussion in Columbia. The State Rep and Senator have contacted SCDOT on the traffic light. SCDOT’s comments were that the intersection did not meet their parameters for a traffic light. The traffic count and number of accidents did not warrant a light. A long discussion followed on the people using alternate routes to avoid the intersection. SCDOT stated that their counts did not show a significant change in the morning and evening traffic to show a drop in left turn onto Silver Bluff in the morning. Also, if a light is installed, it would require a ”line of sight approach” to the intersection from the north. To my knowledge, this was not discussed in previous meetings. This would require the purchase of land and the closing of the Indian Creek Trail entrance close to the light. SCDOT rep at the meeting said that it would require a higher level manager at SCDOT to override the current decision to not install a light. The Augusta Regional Transportation Study (ARTS) group could request a light and then it would be sent up the line for review. The ARTS group will meet next Thursday to approve the road plan without the light.
Additional ARTS info: http://www.augustaga.gov/index.aspx?nid=680

In Aiken County -The South Carolina Subcommittee is comprised of local elected officials (voting members), and federal, state and local appointed personnel (nonvoting members) representing the South Carolina part of the study area. The Aiken County Planning and Development Department (ACPDD) staff is responsible for planning activities in the Aiken County part of the study area. ACPDD location and phone number: Suite 130, Kalmia Plaza, 1680 Richland Avenue West, Aiken, South Carolina (803) 642-1520.

The general consensus was to go ahead with all of the road improvements in the plan and not install a traffic light. After the improvements are complete, there would be another of review of the needs for a traffic light at Town Creek and Silver Bluff.

NOTE: After some thought on the future review of the traffic light, I think the new ”line of sight approach” requirement will make the addition of a traffic late at later date, a very expensive traffic light. It will not be just a light installation; it will require the acquisition of land and new road. This will be a long, expensive process. Contact the elected officials below if you think we should do this now while we have the opportunity.

I submitted a drawing of the Hartwell and Silver Bluff intersection that reduces the size of the median and does not take any property of the owners at the intersection. The group agreed with this and SCDOT said they would consider the change to not take property. They are also going to look at the drainage problem.

There will not be a light at the Woodside entrance.

There will be a left turn lane from Silver Bluff to Savannah Dr.

Silver Bluff will be three lanes for the entire corridor. It will not have a bike path or sidewalk.
SCDOT does not know if the current plan impacts any property. SCDOT will schedule the road right-a-way survey after they get the plan approval from ARTS next week.

SCDOT could not commit to a schedule. They have had their work load double from the stimulus package.

Please distribute a copy of this email and discuss this with your neighbors. Contact your local elected officials if you have any comments on the plan. This should be done before the ARTS meeting next Thursday. If any of the other attendees have different or additonal information, please sent it to me and I will distribute the information.

City: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/
Mayor, Fred B. Cavanaugh (803) 649-1583 FCavanaugh@CityofAikenSC.gov
At Large, Steve Homoki (803) 648-6583
District 3, Dick Dewar (803) 649-4589
District 4, Reggie Ebner (803) 642-6787
At Large, Don Wells (803) 643-3461
County: http://www.aikencountysc.gov/Sgovernment.cfm
Gary Bunker 803/642-4461 (Home), gbunker@aikencountysc.gov
Scott Singer 803/642-5598 (Home), ssinger@aikencountysc.gov

Thanks for your consideration of the Silver Bluff Road expansion.

Bill Busser