One of Irmo’s largest intersections has a new traffic pattern after fixes to broken water main.

The intersection of Lake Murray Boulevard/S.C. Highway 60 and St. Andrews Road now features a newly raised median, painted yellow to make drivers aware of the new traffic pattern that also impacts Woodrow Street. The median was installed alongside work to repair a broken water main.

The new traffic pattern no longer allows drivers to turn left onto Lake Murray Boulevard from Woodrow Street, with Ginny Jones, director of strategic communications for the state Department of Transportation, saying this will improve the safety of the intersection.

According to Courtney Dennis, town administrator for Irmo, the break beneath the intersection occurred in July, and the City of Columbia, which provides water service to the town, assessed the damage and worked with the state's Department of Transportation to repair the break.

He added that during this time, Columbia determined it would be best to replace the pipe, roughly 100 feet long, to help prevent a future break. Following the repair, DOT required Columbia to repave the entire intersection, which is why SCDOT found the timing optimal to extend the median to connect to another one extended closer to the intersection.

“The Town supported SCDOT making the improvement,” Dennis said.

Dennis told the Chronicle that this project was discussed by the town in 2019 and passed through a resolution and sent to DOT for consideration.

In the resolution, the town’s reasoning for the median hinged on the transition from Woodrow Street to Lake Murray Boulevard, which the town argued has become dangerous for both inexperienced drivers and motorists unfamiliar with the traffic pattern.

According to Dennis, there have been numerous collisions at that intersection with some occurring near the local TD Bank location as well.

“Previously, motorists turning left did not have a designated left turn lane, and left turn movements caused a disruption in normal traffic flow by blocking the through lanes,” Jones with DOT said. “The change should allow traffic to proceed safely and more efficiently, and reduce the potential for conflicts among vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.”

The town posted to Facebook about the finishing touches to the median, and many residents expressed their gratitude for the change and the safety improvements it should provide.

“This has been needed for a long time,” Shahram Maleki commented.

The intersection is quite busy.

Per 2022 traffic counts available from DOT, Saint Andrews Road sees 17,700 vehicles daily between Wescott Road and Lake Murray Boulevard and 12,100 between Lake Murray Boulevard and the Richland County line. Lake Murray Boulevard sees 15,500 vehicles between North Lake Drive/S.C. Highway 6 and Saint Andrews Road and 25,600 between Saint Andrews Road and the Richland County line.