Leaders Hope Penny Tax Project Will Keep Pedestrians Safe on Bluff Road

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)- Carolina fans were less than pleased after they say a number of issues put a damper on their experience at Williams Brice Stadium this weekend. One of those issues involved complaints about traffic in the area .

Local leaders said a newly unveiled project should help alleviate some of those issues

The stretch of Bluff Road in front of Williams Brice Stadium brings people from around the nation into our city every year.

“This place is becoming someplace very special. We always knew it was special to us but we’re making it special not just to folks who may come to a game or a fair but for people who may come to visit us throughout the course of the year,” said City of Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin.

Richland County Transportation, The City of Columbia, The State Fair, the Department of Transportation and the University of South Carolina worked together to widen the road, adding a walkway for pedestrians and bikers.

“With the old pathways, they weren’t sidewalks but more like pathways, it was very dangerous to be going inside the fair or to a game. You would have to watch the traffic and be sure not to accidentally slip into the street and maybe cause yourself a lot damage. It’s also safer for the drivers because they know there won’t be pedestrians trying to dash across any openings,” said District 10 Richland County Councilwoman Dalhi Myers.

This newly finished section of Bluff Road is the first phase one of the project. This phase cost over $5 million to complete. Phase two is designed to widen Rosewood Drive down to I-77, that phase is projected to cost twice as much.