The 2-1/2 in diameter sewer line being constructed for Palmetto Utilities along Langford Road will accommodate growth in Blythewood and the surrounding county.
BLYTHEWOOD – Palmetto Utilities recently started construction on a new 2-1/2 foot diameter force main sewer line along Langford Road that is not only causing traffic slowdowns just north of downtown Blythewood, but is a sign of things to come for Blythewood – growth. And the local construction is part of a much larger growth plan for the county.
“The sewer line begins at the intersection of Longtown Road and Highway 555, and will eventually end at the Palmetto Utilities waste treatment plant on High- way Church Road in Elgin,” Andrena Powell-Baker, Senior Manager for Community Relations and Development at Palmetto Utilities, said in an email to The Voice.
“We anticipate the construction along Langford Road to be completed within the next 45-60 days,” Powell-Baker said.
The overall sewer line route will follow several different roads, Powell- Baker explained, beginning on Highway 555 at Longtown Road and running north along Highway 21, then following under a giant power line as it goes cross country to Langford Road where the gi- ant pipes are currently being buried.
The map below shows the route of the sewer line continuing all the way to Two Notch Road and ending at the Highway Church Road treatment plant.
“The first section will serve all of our Palmetto Richland County area. Once you get to Kelly Mill Road, the Kelly Mill pump station, which serves Blythewood, LongCreek and Lake Carolina, will also pump into the line,” Powell-Baker said.
While the Langford Road construction may cause headaches for commuters now, the construction will soon change route and continue along Highway 21.
“There may be some minor construction traffic issues in and around Blythewood for a short time,” Powell-Baker said.
Construction on the sewer line results from the steady population increase and the expected growth in Blythewood and surrounding areas. A new high school is scheduled to be built on property owned by Richland School District Two at the corner of Grover Wilson Road and Langford Road. The high school is scheduled to be completed for the 2024-25 school year, the District’s Director of Planning Will Anderson told The Voice.
“We have seen a large influx in building permits and new residential construction over the last three years,” Kirk Wilson, Director of Permits and Licenses for the Town of Blythewood, said.
According to Wilson, the Town of Blythewood’s building permits more than doubled from 2012 to 2013, going from 53 to 123 permits. Since 2013, permit numbers have stayed consistently in the hundreds.
“There have already been 111 residential building permits issued this year,” Wilson said.
Powell-Baker told The Voice the entire project should be completed by March.
