An approximately one-mile stretch of Wade Hampton Boulevard is proposed to receive several safety improvements.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation’s project aims to enhance vehicular and pedestrian safety along the corridor from East Lee Road to Watson Road. The seven-lane corridor is located in Greenville County.
A road safety assessment was completed in 2024 on the portion of Wade Hampton Road. Approximately 311 crashes were recorded on the roadway from 2018 to 2022. Angle collisions where one vehicle turns and strikes the side of another car comprised 45% of the crashes.
Based on these findings, SCDOT presented conceptual safety improvement plans at a drop-in public meeting on June 20. Hannah Robinson, media relations coordinator for SCDOT, said the project’s anticipated cost is $2.1 million.
Concrete medians and sidewalks
Proposed changes to the corridor include adding concrete medians along the road to restrict the number of turns cars can make and reduce the number of angle collisions. The road’s four signalized intersections will also receive upgraded signal equipment to improve the intersection’s operations.
Gretchen Bozwell, a local business owner, said she was initially concerned with SCDOT’s plan for concrete medians. However, she is happy to see there will be designated turn lanes. Her business, Bozwell Photography, is located on the corridor.
“If this reduces all the wrecks we see on Wade Hampton every day that will be good,” Bozwell said.
Local resident Debbie Keesee believes medians would also help deter people from jaywalking across the roadway. She is concerned, however, about the number of U-turns people will now be making because of the medians.
Several pedestrian improvements are recommended along the corridor including installing new sidewalks. ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps, crosswalks and countdown pedestrian signals are proposed to be added to the signalized intersections.
SCDOT plans to complete property negotiations for the project in the fall of 2025. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2026 and take around a year to complete.
Corridor collisions
311 total crashes
5 fatal crashes
82 injury crashes
9 pedestrian-related crashes
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