BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood residents turned out Thursday night to speak with county representatives and learn more about the county’s current Penny Tax transportation projects in the Blythewood Zip code. The drop-in style meeting, which was held at the Manor, was also a chance for residents to talk with county transportation officials about future Penny Tax projects.
According to county officials, the meetings were proposed as an assessment of the community’s transportation needs, a way to get feedback from residents about current projects and highlight their concerns.
The Transportation Penny Tax officials as well as County Council Vice-Chair Derrek Pugh, who represents a large chunk of Blythewood, and Michael Maloney, Director of Richland County Public Works and Transportation, hosted the meeting. Stantec Services consultant David Beaty was also there to answer questions.
Councilman Derrek Pugh moved around the crowd of attendees, listening to their concerns one-on-one.
“We want to know what is it that you want for your community in the future as we develop a plan from this assessment of transportation needs,” Pugh told a group of attendees. “We want to figure out how we can plan for future growth and how we can address your needs. That’s what this Penny Tax is for.”
Maloney talked with The Voice following the meeting.
“I think the number one concern of the various groups of folks I spoke with and listened to at Thursday night’s meeting – and as it turned out, I experienced it myself as I was driving to the meeting,” Maloney said, “was the congestion on the main downtown roads in Blythewood at rush hour. I had a lot of difficulty, at barely 5 miles an hour, getting through at least a 5o+ line of vehicles as I drove into town on Main Street (Hwy 21) and approached the Main Street/Blythewood Road intersection. When I finally got to the light and thought I was ok,” he said, “then I realized, I was blocking a long line of vehicles on Blythewood Road trying to turn left onto Main Street.”
He said the scenario repeated itself at the intersection of Main Street and Langford Road when he turned right onto Langford to get to the Manor. Maloney noted several times how difficult it was to get through rush hour traffic in downtown Blythewood.
Asked how long it would be before the Penny Tax work on Blythewood Road down to Muller Road would be finished, Maloney said, “April of 2025.”
Maloney said the Penny Tax work on Creech Road, including a new proposal for a light at Creech and Blythewood Road, will help ease some of the traffic congestion in downtown Blythewood.
“I thought it was a very beneficial meeting from the county’s standpoint,” Maloney said, “and I hope it was for the residents. I was particularly pleased with the turnout and the engagement of the Blythewood residents, and we are taking note of their concerns. We appreciated everyone’s involvement.”
