SCDOT requests public comments on 2027 Projects List for Rural Road Safety Program, including project in Sumter

COLUMBIA - South Carolina Department of Transportation requests public comments on a list of proposed safety improvement projects for rural roads across the state. SCDOT will receive public comments for a 21-day period from Oct. 20 to Nov. 9.

The list includes a project along seven miles of U.S. 76 (Florence Highway) in Sumter, from near its intersection with U.S. 378 to Mayesville in the northeastern part of the county.

SCDOT developed the Rural Road Safety Program to address the high rate of road departure crashes with fatalities or serious injuries on South Carolina's non-interstate rural roads. The program has been one of the four focus areas of SCDOT's 10-Year Plan that began in 2017. By the end of 2026, SCDOT will have improved safety on more than 1,300 miles of state-maintained rural roads through the program. Completed projects show a 30 percent reduction in crashes with fatalities and serious injuries and a 54 percent reduction in road departure-related crashes with fatalities and serious injuries.

Rural road corridors selected for project development beginning in 2027 are listed below. View the online map in detail at https://tinyurl.com/4a92upsn.

SCDOT develops a specific safety improvement plan for each rural road corridor selected for a project. Examples of safety solutions that a project might include are rumble strips, raised pavement markings, highly reflective signs, pavement markings, guardrails, specialized pavement treatments, wider shoulders, paved shoulders, clearing zones along roadways, and the relocation of drainage ditches.

The 2027 Rural Road Safety Program project list and public comments will be considered by the SCDOT Commission at its December meeting. The list was developed in accordance with SCDOT Engineering Directive 72, which details the process for prioritizing and selecting rural road safety projects using objective and quantifiable criteria. The projects listed comply with the Ten-Year Plan and support the performance targets established in the Transportation Asset Management Plan.

Comments may be submitted online, by email to SCDOTpubliccomment@scdot.org or by mail to Public Involvement Director, 955 Park Street, P.O. Box 191, Columbia, SC 29201.

Visit scdot.org/projects/public-comment-notices to view all public comment notices and submit comments online.

To assist those who do not have internet access, a printed copy of this press release and any supporting information is available for public review and comment at any of the South Carolina Department of Transportation District Offices and the South Carolina Council of Government Offices. Please note, any information provided, including names and addresses, is subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.