Lexington County Poised to Approve Penny Tax Road Improvements List for November Ballot

A final plan for some $450 million in road improvements in Lexington County is almost completed.

The Lexington County Capital Project Sales Tax Commission, charged with prioritizing nearly 200 projects, has a final meeting scheduled for May 12.

“Our goal is for this to be our last meeting and to finalize the presentation of projects as they will appear on the ballot and to send that to County Council,” said Jim Ewart, chairman of the commission. “Council will decide whether or not to send it to voters this November.”

If council approves the plan and voters give it a green light, it will be funded by a penny sales tax that will be imposed over a period of seven years. 

One of the largest projects will be the widening and repaving Longs Pond Road in Lexington County, which will cost an estimated $64 million. Also listed as part of the project are Pisgah Church Road, Charter Oak Road, St. Peters Road and bridges.

Another major improvement will be a repaving project for the Gibson Road Parkway in the town of Lexington at a cost of approximately $25 million. An intersection improvement project on Corley Mill Bypass in the town of Lexington is estimated to cost around $28 million.

Improvements at Ginny Lane and the Woodland Road Connector in the town of Lexington, designated as a “new roadway,” will cost an estimated $18 million.

In West Columbia plans call for $11 million in “corridor improvements” on Meeting Street

Improvements are also planned for roads in the Irmo area at the intersection of St. Andrews Road and Thames Valley Road at a cost of about $1 million. A new traffic signal is planned for Carlisle Street and Lake Murray Boulevard. A concrete median will be installed at Lake Murray Boulevard and Woodrow Street.  

A total of more than $100 million was allocated to repaving roads.

The commission decided to bypass a plan for one of Lexington County’s busiest roads. Commissioners concluded that the cost of widening U.S. 378 would crowd out too many other projects under consideration, some of which might help alleviate traffic on U.S. 378.

Lexington County Council is expected to approve the final list of projects, though some last-minute changes could be sought.

It remains to be seen if voters will approve the plan if it’s on the ballot in November.

Lexington County tried a similar project in 2014, but voters defeated the plan. The county abandoned efforts for a second try in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Many of the projects considered in that 2014 effort appear on the list again this year.