Segments of Silver Bluff Road are included in the Pavement Improvement Program for 2024 that the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission approved recently.
One of the sections is 5.96 miles in length, and the other is 3.01 miles long, according to a May 18 news release
Also scheduled for upgrades next year in Aiken County are 1.15 miles of Railroad Avenue, 1.28 miles of University Parkway/Rutland Drive, 6 miles of Festival Trail Road/Railroad Avenue, 2.33 miles of Edgefield Road, less than a half-mile of East Buena Vista Avenue, approximately a half-mile of the U.S. 25 Connector and 1.43 miles of Atomic Road.
Improvements also are planned for three segments of Bettis Academy Road. One is around a quarter of a mile in length. The others are 1.28 miles and 2.66 miles long.
In addition, upgrades are planned for 1.87 miles of Crystal Springs Road and for sections of a less than a mile in length on Anthony Drive, Morgan Street N.W., Knob Cone Avenue and Breezy Hill Road.
Twenty or so neighborhood streets in Aiken County also are included in the 2024 Pavement Improvement Program.
From 2018, when the Pavement Improvement Program was implemented, through this year, $2.8 billion has been invested to upgrade more than 8,000 miles in South Carolina's system of thoroughfares.
The 10-year program began “after a significant increase in funding provided by the General Assembly in the 2017 Roads Bill," according to the news release.
In 2024, $775 million will be available to improve 877 miles of roads statewide.
“We know that South Carolina depends on a safe and reliable transportation system, and we are making good on our promise to the people of South Carolina to improve that system,” said Commission Chairman Tony Cox in a prepared statement. “We have more work to do, but the effort is well underway and we are continuing to invest in the improvement of our roads. We are moving people and goods across the region more efficiently – making sure our state is a great place to live and work.”
Said S.C. Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall: "When we implemented the strategic 10-year plan in 2018, we set out to make significant improvements in the condition of pavements across the state that were in poor condition due to 30 years of deferred maintenance. I’m proud to report we are well on the way to meeting those goals.”
