Pedestrians with physical limitations should find it easier to get around in Richland County, with construction complete on a group of safety improvement projects.
Richland County Transportation finished 16 intersections mainly along high-traffic, Columbia-area corridors: four on Assembly Street, six on Rosewood Drive, three on Two Notch Road and the intersections at Blossom Street and Saluda Avenue, Elmwood Avenue and Park Street, and Main and Calhoun streets.
With the projects, the County brought the intersections into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and improved overall safety for pedestrians. All of the intersections are open for public use.
The improvements involved:
- installing ADA-compliant, handicapped-accessible ramps where none existed and replacing ramps that were in disrepair or did not meet standards,
- installing pedestrian signals with push buttons, and
- installing or replacing detectable warning surfaces and crosswalks for the visually impaired.
Construction on the projects began in February, with design and utilities work dating back to 2016.
With work now complete, the estimated cost of the projects is $697,886.48. The final cost will be calculated when the projects are closed out.