Local

Miles of headaches reported along Highway 521 in Lancaster County

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Motorists said Highway 521 in Lancaster County is a mess from near the city, through Indian Land and toward Ballantyne.

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The slowdowns aren't in any particular area, but along much of the 21-mile road.

East North Corner Road is being redone because of the several serious accidents. Once it's completed, drivers won't be able to turn left onto the highway.

They'll have to make a right turn then make a U-turn to travel in the opposite direction.

The project is supposed to reduce accidents by roughly 40%.

The work is expected to last through September.

That project is only the beginning.

About half of Highway 521, which is 11 miles, is being resurfaced and is expected to bring traffic to a dead stop. That project won't wrap up for months, officials said.

Traffic looks the same 13 miles away in Indian Land, where there is another repaving project that is blocking lanes. Department of Transportation officials said the project should be finished this week.

The projects are expected to cost more than $11 million.

More construction is on the way for Highway 521 by early next year.

DOT construction engineer Melanie Mobley told Channel 9 that next year crews will replace the northbound bridge on Highway 521 over Cane Creek, reconstruct the Marvin Road intersection near the state line and repave the flyover from Highway 521 to Highway 5 toward Rock Hill.

Though it's not directly on Highway 521, DOT will launch a bigger project to resurface Highway 5 from Highway 521 close to the York County line at the Catawba River.

The work is funded by the new gas tax lawmakers approved in 2017. The tax will increase to 12 cents per gallon of gas, which will be used for road and bridge improvements statewide.

Orange barrels and heavy equipment will be a common sight for motorists in those areas.

Some are OK with it.

Marjorie Thrower has lived in Lancaster County all her life and said there's no reason to complain about it.

"I like seeing taxpayer money at work. Improvement is going to cost something. You can't have the good without a little of the bad," she said.

Several drivers voiced frustrations about why crews are doing the work during the busy travel day, instead of at night.

Mobley told Channel 9 work at night is more dangerous for road crews and motorists, is more expensive and work takes longer.

There's also a shortage of truck drivers who will work overnight shifts, which makes it more difficult to get materials in place in the overnight hours.