Powderhouse Connector Project promises traffic alleviation
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A new project officially started on Friday to alleviate traffic on Whiskey Road in Aiken.
Officials broke ground on the Powderhouse Connector Project which promises to make the traffic along Aiken’s main artery more manageable.
Nearly 40,000 cars travel Whiskey Road every day. Some neighbors say not only can it be a headache to drive, but sometimes it’s also a safety concern.
Factoring in new development along Oak Grove Road, the Powderhouse Connector Project is expected to reduce traffic on Whiskey Road by 18 percent, eliminating nearly 8,000 cars a day from the roadway.
“Whiskey Road is the single most traveled road in Aiken County except for the highway, so anything we can do to help whiskey will help,” Oliver Weston, Alfred Benesch & company project manager.
North Augusta neighbors worry as ‘The Hive’ project continues
The Hive in North Augusta is now one step closer to being a reality. On Thursday, the city held a groundbreaking for the new development.
Construction will cost around $14 million and will be done in two phases.
The first phase will take around 14 to 16 months to complete and they expect the same time frame for phase two.
The project has been in the works for more than 20 years and now it’s seeing some real movement.
Construction starts for phase one on April 14.
“So phase one will create kind of like an L between Whiskey Road and Corporate Parkway. So this one’s going to come off Whiskey Road, and we’ll have a roundabout in the middle and then it’ll go up S Centennial and meet up by Aiken memory care. Phase two itself would go all the way to the existing Powder House Road near the intersection of Old Powderhouse Road and Powderhouse Road,” said Weston.
Bob Van Pelt lives in Aiken but says he steers clear of Whiskey Road.
Aiken County brush fires continue to burn, officials say
According to the South Carolina Forestry Commission, a perimeter has been constructed around the fires in Vaucluse and New Holland to help contain them.
“All this traffic is so built up with traffic from around the Publix area, Cracker Barrel going back down to Dougherty or going to downtown Aiken, or making a left going down the by it, it gets crazy,” said Van Pelt.
Even with the new development, “They’re looking at a hotel, they’re looking at somewhere upwards of 500 plus homes. And where are those people going to go? They’re going to shop on Whiskey Road. And so you’re going to put more traffic on here. So I don’t know where the reduction will come from, said Van Pelt.
After watching Aiken grow over the years, he says the south side is overcrowded.
“We recognize there needs to have some growth, but we want the growth to be sustained. I mean even our mayor is in favor of that,” said Van Pelt.
And the city says they want to hear from you. The public input meeting for phase two is being held on April 3 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Odell Weeks Activity Center.
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