US Highway 78 Dorchester County, South Carolina PUBLIC HEARING December 12, 2013 5:00 7:00 PM Ridgeville Community Center 105 School Street Ridgeville, SC 29472 WELCOME The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and the Dorchester County Sales Tax Transportation Authority (DCTA) welcome you to the public hearing for the proposed US Highway 78 improvement project. The purpose of this meeting is to provide you an opportunity to review and discuss individually, with a representative of SCDOT, DCTA, or their design consultants, plans for the project and its likely impacts on the surrounding human and natural environments. HEARING FORMAT human and natural environments. Immediately following the presentation, citizens will have the opportunity to make formal verbal comments regarding the proposed project. Individuals who wish to verbally comment must sign up between 5:00 p.m. and 5:55 p.m. Each commenter will be limited to two minutes and their time may not be transferred. The informal portion of the public hearing will continue during this time. Additional options for submitting your comments are offered in the Comments section of this handout. Comments will be received until January 1, 2014. 5:00 6:00 PM Exhibit Review Q&A with Staff Public Comment Sign-up 6:00 PM Project presentation Public Comments From 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., the hearing format will be informal. Large aerial displays of the entire project will be available for viewing, and project team members from SCDOT, DCTA, and their consultants will be present to discuss the project with interested persons on an individual basis. At 6:00 p.m., DCTA and its consultants will give a brief, formal presentation about the project purpose and need, schedule, and potential impacts to the ABOUT THE PROJECT The DCTA, through an Intergovernmental Agreement with SCDOT, proposes to improve US Highway 78 from approximately 0.8 miles west of US Highway 178 to approximately 0.2 miles west of S- 22 (Orangeburg Road) in Dorchester County, South Carolina. The project is currently listed in the Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) as a federally funded project and on SCDOT s State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Funding for 1 US Highway 78 Improvement Project Public Hearing
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engineering has been provided through local money from the Dorchester County Transportation Sales Tax Fund. Federal funds and the BCDCOG s Rural Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) would fund the improvements. As stated in the STIP, a total of $14.334 million is obligated to the project through FY 2015, with the remainder coming from federal-aid funds in FY 2016 and 2017. US Highway 78 is currently undergoing resurfacing. Funded through the SCDOT s FY 2013 Federal Match Program, this work is part of a pavement preservation program to rehabilitate and improve the existing pavement and includes milling, full depth patching, and resurfacing. These improvements will be incorporated into the overall US Highway 78 project described within this document. PROJECT LOCATION & PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS The project location is shown on Figure 1 on the previous page. The following section lists the improvements proposed along each segment of the project. 1. 0.8 miles west of US 178 to 0.5 miles west of SC 27N US Highway 78 from 0.8 miles west of US 178 for a distance of approximately 3.1 miles to 0.5 miles west of SC 27N will be resurfaced and the shoulders will be widened to provide a 10-ft shoulder with 4-ft paved and 6-ft grassed. The right-ofway (R/W) will be cleared to meet clear zone requirements and the slopes within the R/W will be regraded to provide recoverable slopes. These improvements, along with Figure 2. rumble strips on the edge line, should US Highway 78 improvements from 0.8 miles west of US Highway 178 to 0.5 miles west of SC 27N improve the safety requirements for Run off the Road accidents. The proposed 10-ft shoulder will also allow a driver to veer onto the shoulder to potentially avoid a Head On or Sideswipe collision. The location of this segment of roadway is shown in Figure 2 below and the typical section is shown in Figure 3. 3 US Highway 78 Improvement Project Public Hearing
Within this segment, the US Highway 178 intersection will be improved to remove skewed angles and reduce angle crashes. A left turn lane and a right turn lane will be constructed on US Highway 78, and US Highway 178 will have a dedicated left turn lane. US Highway 178, within the construction limits, will have 10-ft shoulders with 2-ft paved and 8-ft grassed along with recoverable slopes, and it will meet the clear zone requirements. The sight distance for the intersection will be improved with the clearing of the R/W to meet the clear zone requirements. (See Figure 4.) Figure 3. Typical 2-lane section with 10-ft. shoulders Figure 4. US Highway 78 intersection improvements 4 US Highway 78 Improvement Project Public Hearing
2. 0.5 miles west of SC 27N to 0.25 miles west of SC 173 US Highway 78 from 0.5 miles west of SC 27N for a distance of approximately 2.2 miles to 0.25 miles west of SC 173 will be widened from a 2-lane rural section to a 5-lane rural section and will provide 10-ft shoulders with 4-ft paved and 6-ft grassed. The project will meet or exceed the clear zone requirements and will provide recoverable slopes. Rumble strips will be placed on the edge line to improve the safety requirements for Run off the Road accidents. The 15-ft paved median will provide storage for left turn movements. Also, the 5-lane section will provide an area for drivers to pass slower moving vehicles safely. The location of this segment is shown below in Figure 5 and the typical section is shown in Figure 6. Figure 5. (Above) US Highway 78 Improvements from 0.5 miles west of SC 27N to 0.25 miles west of SC 173 Figure 6. (Right) Typical 5-lane section with 10-ft shoulders 5 US Highway 78 Improvement Project Public Hearing
This segment contains the SC 27N and SC 27S intersections which are approximately 2,575 LF apart. SC 27N will be relocated in an expedited safety intersection improvement project to provide a 90 degree intersection with US Highway 78, with turn lanes (see Figure 7). The 5-lane widening will enhance this intersection by retaining the left turn lane and right turn lane on US Highway 78 and will provide additional capacity through this new signalized intersection. The SC 27S intersection will be improved with a dedicated right turn lane on US Highway 78 and SC 27S. The 5-lane section ties both of these intersections together while accommodating existing developments such as a convenience store and several residences. It affords the through traffic on US Highway 78 the opportunity to remain in the inside travel lane thereby avoiding those vehicles turning right into the developments which should minimize rear-end accidents. Figure 7. SC 27N intersection improvements 6 US Highway 78 Improvement Project Public Hearing
3. 0.25 miles west of SC 173 to 0.7 miles east of S-630 (Campbell Thicket Road) US Highway 78 from 0.25 miles west of SC 173 for a distance of approximately 1.6 miles to 0.7 miles east of S-630 (Campbell Thicket Road) will be widened from a 2-lane rural section to a 3-lane rural section (see Figure 8) or 3-lane valley gutter section (See Figure 9). The 3-lane rural section will provide 10-ft shoulders with 4-ft paved and 6-ft grassed. The 3-lane valley gutter section will provide 10-ft shoulders with 4-ft paved, 3-ft valley gutter, and 3-ft grassed. Both sections will meet or exceed the clear zone requirements and will provide recoverable slopes. Rumble strips will be placed on the edge line to improve the safety requirements for Run off the Road accidents. The 15-ft paved median will provide storage for left turn movements. The 3-lane section is also continuous to tie together the intersection improvements at SC 173 (School Street)/S-182 (Myers-Mayo Road), S-630 (Campbell Thicket Road) and Water Wheel Road. The 15-ft paved median will be striped to provide dedicated turn lanes at SC 173/S-182, S-630, and Water Wheel Road. The location of this segment is shown in Figure 10. Figure 8 Typical 3-Lane Rural Section with 10-ft Shoulders Figure 9 Typical 3-Lane Valley Gutter Section with 10-ft Shoulders Figure 10. US Highway 78 Improvements from 0.25 miles west of SC 173 to 0.7 miles east of S-630 (Campbell Thicket Road) 7 US Highway 78 Improvement Project Public Hearing
4. 0.7 miles east of S-630 (Campbell Thicket Road) to 0.2 miles west of S-22 (Orangeburg Road) US Highway 78 from 0.7 miles east of S-630 (Campbell Thicket Road) for a distance of approximately 1.2 miles to 0.5 miles west of S-22 (Orangeburg Road) will be resurfaced and the shoulders will be widened to provide a 10-ft shoulder with 4-ft paved and 6-ft grassed (see Figure 3). The R/W will be cleared to meet clear zone requirements and the slopes within the R/W will be re-graded to provide recoverable slopes. These improvements, along with rumble strips on the edge line, should improve the safety requirements for Run off the Road accidents. The proposed 10-ft shoulder will also allow a driver to veer onto the shoulder to potentially avoid a Head On or Sideswipe collision. The location for this segment is shown in Figure 11. Figure 11 US Highway 78 Improvements from 0.7 miles east of S-630 (Campbell Thicket Road) to 0.2 miles west of S-22 (Orangeburg Road) Construction will end at an expedited intersection safety improvement project for S-22 (Orangeburg Road). S-22 will be realigned to eliminate an offset, skewed intersection and will tie to US Highway 78 at a 90 angle. Both US Highway 78 and S-22 will be widened to provide left turn lanes (see Figure 12) 8 US Highway 78 Improvement Project Public Hearing
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS An Environmental Assessment (EA) has been completed and was approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on November 21, 2013, and is available for your review at this hearing. The EA, as well as this handout, comment forms, and project displays from this meeting are available on DCTA s website: www.dorchesterroadstax.org. The project is not expected to have substantial impacts to the human or natural environment. Although the project includes construction within developed areas, its influences, other than the acquisition of portions of property tracts and commitment of financial resources, are considered minor. These impacts include: Figure 12 S 22 Intersection Improvements Wetland impacts of approximately 14.543 acres. Mitigation for these impacts will be through the purchase of credits from suitable mitigation banks. Floodplain encroachments within the 100-year flood limits of Four Holes Swamp, Timothy Creek, and Cypress Swamp (Ashley River). No impacts to federally listed endangered or threatened species No eligible or potentially eligible National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) sites would be adversely affected. 9 US Highway 78 Improvement Project Public Hearing
TITLE VI COMPLIANCE SCDOT complies with all requirements set forth by Federal regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. Any person who believes that he or she has been discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap/disabilities or national origin under a program receiving federal aid has the right to file a complaint with SCDOT. The complaint shall be filed with the Title VI Program Compliance Coordinator, at (803) 737-1372 or at the address shown below. The complaint should be submitted no later than 180 days after the date of the alleged act of discrimination. It should outline as completely as possible the facts and circumstances of the incident and should be signed by the person making the complaint. COMMENTS SCDOT and DCTA appreciate your attendance and strongly encourage you to provide your input regarding this project. You may comment in several ways: FORMS Complete a comment form and leave it in the comment box provided at the public hearing; PUBLIC HEARING Speak during the formal presentation and comment period at the public hearing (sign up required); MAIL / EMAIL Mail or email your comment to Ms. Jennifer Bragg at the address shown below; WEBSITE Visit www.dorchesterroadstax.org and print a comment form for mailing or emailing; or FAX your comment to 803-254-4549. ANTICIPATED PROJECT SCHEDULE Right-of-Way Acquisition 2014 (1 st Qtr.) 2015 (2 nd Qtr.) Construction 2015 (2 nd Qtr.) 2017 (3 rd Qtr.) Written comments pertaining to this project will be accepted through January 1, 2014. All comments will be included in the official public hearing records and available for public review after the comment period is closed. Comments provided after the public hearing should be directed to: Ms. Jennifer Bragg, P.E. Davis & Floyd, Inc. Project Manager 240 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 305 Columbia, South Carolina 29210 (803) 256-4121 jbragg@davisfloyd.com 10 US Highway 78 Improvement Project Public Hearing