Road projects aim to boost safety

Traffic relief could be coming soon for some parents and other commuters with improvements to two Columbia County intersections near schools.

Construction could begin on left-turn lanes from North Belair and Mullikin roads onto Furys Ferry Road in the next 30 to 45 days.

Utility work on Evans to Locks Road, which will be widened and will include the addition of a traffic signal at the Blue Ridge Drive intersection, also could begin at that time.

Columbia County school officials said a traffic signal would improve safety at the intersection of Evans to Locks Road and Blue Ridge Drive.

Jeff Collman, the Blue Ridge Elementary School principal, said making a left turn on to Evans to Locks Road from Blue Ridge Drive, which leads to the elementary school and Lakeside middle and high schools, is difficult.

He also said a stoplight could deter motorists from bypassing traffic by cutting through the parking lot of The Shoppes at Blue Ridge, a shopping center at that intersection.

"There's three schools right there in that little area, and a lot of young drivers also," said Dewayne Porter, the school system's transportation director. "The potential for accidents is increased. People can get impatient, and they want to go ahead and turn in front of somebody."

According to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, 16 accidents occurred at that intersection from Jan. 1, 2007, through the end of July of this year.

School board member Mike Sleeper said it is difficult for school buses to make left turns at the Furys Ferry intersection.

Riverside Middle School is on Furys Ferry Road near the crossroads, and River Ridge Elementary School is close to the intersection on Mullikin Road.

Officials in Richmond and Aiken counties said they were unaware of any road projects to mitigate traffic near schools.

Reach Betsy Gilliland at (706) 868-1222, ext. 113, or betsy.gilliland@augustachronicle.com.