November’s likely $277.92 million Pennies 4 roads referendum in York County now has what communities worked more than a year toward — a list of roads to improve.
Here’s what’s on it:
▪ $167.92 million for intersection, widening and new road improvement projects
▪ $60 million for five projects carried over from the 2011 Pennies campaign
▪ $50 million for more than 80 miles of asphalt resurfacing countywide
Here’s a look at the communities slates for projects and which roads would be addressed:
Fort Mill/Tega Cay
▪ $35.88 million for five-lane widening of U.S. 21 from S.C. 160 to Springfield Parkway
▪ $23.13 million for five-lane widening of Sutton Road/Spratt Street/Fort Mill Parkway from I-77 to the railroad overpass
▪ $3 million for intersection improvements on Sutton Road at New Gray Rock Road, Sam Smith Road and Harris Road
▪ $2.83 million for extension of Hubert Graham Way to Dry Run Road
▪ S.C. 160 three-lane widening from Springfield Parkway to the county line (from Pennies 3)
Resurfacing projects
▪ A.O. Jones Boulevard from Springfield Parkway to Lion Lane
▪ Harris Road from Sutton Road to Munn Road
▪ Holbrook Road from Fort Mill Parkway to its end
▪ New Gray Rock Road from Sutton to Gardendale Road
▪ Regent Parkway from U.S. 21 to the county line
▪ Whites Road from Fort Mill Parkway to J.W. Wilson Road/Skywater Drive
Lake Wylie/Clover area
▪ $25.52 million for three-lane widening of S.C. 557 from Kingsburry Road to S.C. 55
▪ $7.3 million for intersection improvements at S.C. 49/S.C. 274/S.C. 557
▪ $2.95 million for shoulder widening of Bate Harvey Road from S.C. 557 to Green Pond Road
▪ S.C. 557 five-lane widening from Kinsburry Road to S.C. 49 (from Pennies 3)
Resurfacing projects
▪ Campbell Road from Charlotte Highway to Hands Mill Highway
▪ Colonial Road from Rhyne Road to Sherwood Road
▪ Farris Road from St. Paul Church Road to Ole Cambridge Circle
▪ Grandview Road from S.C. 161 to the state line
▪ Liberty Hill Road from Charlotte Highway to Betty Davis Drive
▪ Love Road from Ridge Road to the state line
▪ Kendrick Road from Ridge to the state line
▪ Kingsburry Road from Charlotte Highway to S.C. 557
▪ Oakridge Road from Regal Road to Riddle Mill Road
Rock Hill area
▪ $40.51 million for five-lane widening of Cel-River/Red Road from Eden Terrace to Dave Lyle Boulevard and the Galleria Boulevard extension
▪ $10.85 million for three-lane widening of Neely Road from Robertson Road to Crawford Road
▪ $6.82 million for intersection improvements at U.S. 21/Springdale Road
▪ $4.75 million for Flint Hill Street drainage improvements (Flint Hill, Frank, Oates, Haynes and Russell streets)
▪ $1.59 million for intersection improvements at Celanese Road/Cherry Road/U.S. 21
▪ $1.03 million for left turn lanes along U.S. 21 at Catawba Baptist Church, Hopewell Presbyterian Church, Benson Road, Cannon Drive and McAllister Road
▪ Riverview Road three-lane widening from Eden Terrace to S.C. 161 (from Pennies 3)
▪ Mount Gallant Road three-lane widening from Celanese Road to Twin Lakes Road (from Pennies 3)
▪ S.C. 72 five-land widening from S.C. 901 to Rawlsville Road and three-lane widening from Rawlsville to Rambo Road (from Pennies 3)
Resurfacing projects
▪ Cherry Road from Alumni Drive to Deas Street
▪ Eden Terrace from Anderson Road to Cel River Road
▪ Main Street from Gladestone Court to Albright Road
▪ Mount Gallant Road from Homestead Road to Hands Mill Highway
▪ Neely Store Road from Lesslie Highway to Reservation Road
▪ Oak Pond Road from Porter Road to Neelys Creek Road
▪ Old Friendship Road from Lesslie Highway to Reservation
▪ Penhurst Road from Old Friendship to Penhurst Road
▪ Reservation from Hwy. 5 to Neely Store
▪ Springsteen Road from Anderson to Dave Lyle Boulevard
Western York County
▪ $1.94 million for intersection improvements at U.S. 321/Kings Mountain Road
Resurfacing projects
▪ Beersheba Road from McGill Road to Hwy. 5
▪ Carson Road from Cameron Raod to McFarland Road
▪ East Madison Street from North Congress Street to Hunter Street
▪ Fourth Street from Ross Cannon Street to Hunter Street
▪ Hillcrest Drive from Kings Mountain Street to Kings Mountain
▪ Hoodtown Road from Lockhart Highway to Conservation Road
▪ Hunter Street from E. Liberty Street to Alexander Love Highway
▪ Lockhart Road from Burris Road to Rainey Avenue
▪ Love Street/Chappell Road from McConnels Highway to Hwy. 72
▪ Magnolia Street from West Madison Street to its end
▪ Miller Street from Hunter to Dixon Street
▪ Percival Road from Brattonsville Road to Williamson Road
▪ Wood Road from Old Limestone Road to Lincoln road
▪ Woodlawn Drive from Oakwood Avenue to Wiley Avenue
▪ Woodlawn Street from York Street to Shillinglaw Road
What’s next?
The list, presented to York County Council this week after a citizen committee and extensive stakeholder process formed it, still has to be approved by Council. Three votes will be needed between June 5 and June 17. Council can vote in favor of or against the list outright, but can’t pick and choose projects.
“This is a good roads list, and this is the type of thing that’s going to help York County long-term,” said Councilman Michael Johnson.
If Council doesn’t approve the list, it would risk not getting another one in place for the early November vote. Ballot language has to be in front of the state election commission by Aug. 15.
“You are cutting it close if you are to vote it down,” said Michael Kendree, county attorney.
Lake Wylie resident Jerry Helms has been part of every Pennies list-forming committee since the first referendum in 1997. He said Pennies has gone from nothing to creating a list from scratch, to including all areas of the county, and now to asking all areas of the county what they need and letting locals decide.
“We asked for input from the schools, and the leadership and the economic development and private citizens and we built our list,” Helms said.
That process led to the resurfacing component, the first such as part of a Pennies campaign.
“One of the first things that came up was, our roads are crumbling,” Helms said.
If voters approve Pennies 4, a one-cent sales tax will be charged for seven years on purchases made in York County. While the citizen group formed the list and Council gets to approve it, only county voters get final say on whether the road projects move forward.
“Pennies works, most importantly, because it’s the one thing that belongs to the people,” Helms said.
By John Marks, Staff Reporter with The Fort Mill Times
(803) 327-9041
