Holmestown Road commute will be tricky for a while - but stop making U-turns
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comment from the S.C. Department of Transportation.
Ongoing construction that has cut off cross-traffic on Holmestown Road will likely cause continued headaches for drivers, businesses and homeowners for the rest of April.
Holmestown Road from Highway 17 Bypass to Highway 707 is closed to most cross-traffic due to fresh asphalt being poured by construction crews. Disruptions can be expected until the end of of the month, when the South Carolina Department of Transportation expects the work to be finished.
The construction caused backups going both directions on the road this week. On Wednesday, there wasn’t a way to get across the road from 17 Bypass to 707 because of the fresh asphalt being poured into the road’s middle lanes. Cones block access to all but the road’s outer lanes on either side.
Dozens of drivers were making illegal U-turns to get across the street, seemingly going for the drier portions of the road in order to cross to businesses and homes that line the street. DOT spokeswoman Lauren Roeder said in an email that travel across the fresh asphalt “while not ideal” is allowed. Any damage will be removed later on as the road renovations finish up, she said.
The Transportation Department, which oversees the Holmestown Road construction, said that “temporarily restricting traffic movements is inevitable due to safety.” Roeder said in an email that crews were told to have workers directing traffic at “key access points,” such as Scipio Lane. However, at the height of rush hour Wednesday, The Sun News did not see any workers doing so.
“While our engineers understand there may not have been flaggers present (Wednesday), the contractor has been instructed to have flaggers going forward,” Roeder said in an email.
More than 50 people commented on a Facebook post from The Sun News about the construction, criticizing how the state handled it.
“The planning for the project is pathetic honestly,” Brett Wilburn wrote.
Many also said that the construction, and lack of signage, made navigating the area deeply confusing, if not impossible.
“Can someone tell us how we are supposed to get to Burgess Elementary then? Should I take 17 to Holmestown?” Summer Ford commented. “I had no idea it was blocked off yesterday and had to completely turn around. It’s not like they’re telling the people what to do. And nobody was guiding the traffic at the light. Also they did a horrible smooth job, the potholes weren’t as bad as the smooth job done.”
Roeder said that detour signage was not necessary for this project because of its short duration, only a few weeks. DOT does have lane closure signage installed. Nevertheless, many people commenting on The Sun News post said they would have appreciated signage telling them how to safely cross the road, or at least signage noting that they would need to go all the way around.
“Well, what about the ones that live off Holmestown?” Elizabeth Vander Wiele said. “And (the construction worker told) me I couldn’t pull in my drive for an hour. Sorry not happening! A little heads up would be nice.”
Construction on the road is expected to finish by the end of this month, yet there isn’t much in the way of signage saying that, as Brittany Cohen asked on Facebook, “Any idea when this misery gonna end?”
Due to noise restrictions in the area, Roeder said it would be hard for the crews to pave at night when there is less traffic.
Several people commented that the road felt bumpier than it did before. Others expressed concerns that the drivers crossing over the fresh asphalt could be endangering workers in the area.
“Probably the worst paving job I have ever experienced. Almost prefer dodging the potholes,” Tim Burke commented on Facebook.
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 7:18 PM.
