Fort Mill road project found unmarked graves near I-77. What’s next for construction?
One of the most anticipated road construction projects in York County will need slight changes after the discovery of graves.
Berry Mattox with the South Carolina Department of Transportation updated the Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study policy committee at its Nov. 18 meeting on area projects either in planning or construction phases. That included the interchange upgrade at Interstate 77 and S.C. 160 in Fort Mill.
“We discovered eight unmarked graves right along the side of the road that were underneath where the road, where we planned on putting drainage,” Mattox said.
A consultant is working through design changes to avoid the area where graves were found. The larger interchange work includes widening S.C. 160 heading toward the interstate and flyover lanes — to avoid left turns — atop it.
“It’s not unusual to encounter a grave,” Mattox said. “But we encountered eight of them. We felt the most prudent thing to do was do what we could to avoid. That’s the first thing, avoid, and then mitigate and avoid.”
Mattox didn’t provide information on what type of graves were found or any efforts to identify them. SCDOT won’t look to acquire the portion of property where the graves are, or disturb them.
SCDOT planned to ask for construction bids early next year. Now, it likely will be early summer, Mattox said. One of the flyover bridges will narrow about 12 feet, which could save about $1 million. The state will acquire less right-of-way to avoid the graves on what in total should be a $92 million interchange project.
“We’re now constricting our design a little bit,” Mattox said. “No operational impact to the project. We had a wide median that we’re necking down. The bridge is actually getting more narrow, so there’s actually some cost savings there. We’re building a less substantial structure over 77.”
The size of the project allows the bridge to narrow in a way that won’t impact traffic.
“There will be no impact to the public,” Mattox said. “It’s a little bit of a kink, but you won’t be able to tell if you’re driving. We’re stretching it out over several thousand feet.”
The Fort Mill interchange is directly between two of the busier areas in York County, Baxter and Kingsley. It’s also a connection point for areas of Fort Mill and Tega Cay to access Charlotte or Rock Hill via the interstate. The interchange is close, and the nearest connection, to the new Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill hospital.
Indian Land project on hold
Another large project in Indian Land remains on hold due to a legal issue. SCDOT plans intersection upgrades at U.S. 521, or Charlotte Highway, and Marvin Road.
“The gas station on the corner, we are having issues acquiring that right-of-way,” Mattox said. “The purpose and need of the project have been challenged, essentially.”
Mattox said attorneys update him monthly, but SCDOT is waiting on a court date. The agency previously argued a legal case by the property owner at the intersection should be dismissed, but it wasn’t. Now the sides will have to make their cases.
“Getting it before a judge has been more difficult than we thought,” Mattox said.
Other road projects
Several other large projects are progressing. The Interstate 77 interchange at Celanese and Cherry roads in Rock Hill should come back for a public meeting to weigh alternatives and cost estimates in early February. At least two, possibly three, options will be presented, Mattox said.
One in consideration now involved a diverging diamond where the interstate meets Cherry Road and dual left turns where it crosses Celanese. The diverging diamond is the setup that opened at Gold Hill Road where it runs over the interstate near Fort Mill and Tega Cay. Another option for the Rock Hill intersection would limit and reconfigure left turns, a key piece of proposed improvements at several interchanges since left turns take longer and back up traffic compared to straight or right turn movements.
“We have a couple of alternatives we feel good about,” Mattox said.
Improvements at Carowinds Boulevard and Pleasant Road in Fort Mill are ongoing. Bids came in early October for India Hook and Celanese improvements in Rock Hill, and that project is in the pre-construction phase.
“I would imagine early next year, probably late January, we’ll start seeing some cones out there,” Mattox said.
The state department also has bicycle or pedestrian lane improvements at various planning or construction phases at Whites Road and Spratt Street in Fort Mill, New Gray Rock Road near Tega Cay and Dave Lyle Boulevard in Rock Hill.
This story was originally published December 2, 2022 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Fort Mill road project found unmarked graves near I-77. What’s next for construction?."
