A chance to get it right. Fort Mill leaders, public approaching key decision about roads
Fort Mill is a cauldron of traffic. So given the rare opportunity to widen or repair town roads, officials say it’s imperative they and the public get it right.
Fort Mill Town Council will approve a list of road jobs and submit it next month to the Pennies for Progress commission for consideration. That commission will weigh requests from across York County and create its own list that, pending York County Council approval, will go to county voters in November 2024.
The list for Fort Mill requests is largely set. The order, just as important since communities don’t get all the projects they submit, isn’t. Mayor Guynn Savage said it’s critical town officials make the right call, and also that the public shows up to voice concern.
“It will all go into a process that is lengthy, cumbersome and highly competitive,” Savage said.
Why is Fort Mill traffic so bad?
Geography and community come together to create traffic headaches throughout Fort Mill. The town’s residential growth rate, dating back decades, consistently ranks Fort Mill among the top areas in the region and at times the nation. The largest population increases in unincorporated York County typically come in what’s still called Fort Mill -- between the town and Tega Cay.
“A lot of stuff in Fort Mill isn’t in the Town of Fort Mill,” said Town Councilman Chris Wolfe.
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Fort Mill also sits directly between the two largest municipalities in the area, Rock Hill and Charlotte. One of the few places that can match Fort Mill in growth numbers is neighboring Indian Land. Ballantyne, just over the North Carolina border to the north, feeds into Fort Mill traffic. There’s Tega Cay and Lake Wylie on the opposite side.
Most any Rock Hill region trip will run through Fort Mill, if the route is from one community to another and involves the northern part of the Catawba River.
“The congestion in Fort Mill is not just Fort Mill,” Savage said.
Area roads experts recognize the challenges. The Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study divvies federal dollars for regional road work. It’s policy committee recently updated its membership to include more Fort Mill representation, due both to population increases and cut-through traffic.
When RFATS submitted its own recommendation list to the Pennies commission this spring, four of six large projects involved Fort Mill area roads.
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Fort Mill road list
Fort Mill will submit eight projects to the Pennies commission. Four will be road widening jobs, and four road resurfacing.
The working list includes widening U.S. 21 Bypass from Sutton Road to Fort Mill Parkway, Fort Mill Parkway from the railroad overpass bridge at US Foods to Holbrook Road, North White Street from Horse Road to a new roundabout at Old Nation Road and pedestrian upgrades at Clebourne Street with a new pedestrian bridge over the railroad.
The resurfacing jobs are Main Street, Banks Road from Fairway Drive to Wolfpack Trail, Tom Hall Street from Main to Banks Street and Academy Street from Main to Banks streets.
Council members understand that list only goes so far.
“We could put eight more on there, and it still wouldn’t be enough,” said Councilman Allen Garrison.
Still, Pennies is the one opportunity every seven years that voters get to decide which projects will help the most.
“This is going to help move the needle,” said Councilman Ben Hudgins.
Speed vs. safety
Prioritizing isn’t exactly picking, but council members say it somewhat feels that way, knowing they likely won’t get the full list of improvements. So, do they move up the U.S. 21 Bypass widening that helps resident and non-resident drivers get through when I-77 stalls or do they start with North White Street, which would help with dangerous left turns in some of the most historic parts of town?
Council members can make a strong case for either. The first week of school last August, a major wreck on I-77 sent so much traffic into Fort Mill that there were virtual parking lots along roads throughout the town. Similar past wrecks on I-77 have had similar impacts.
“You could not get ambulances, fire trucks — Fort Mill was shut down,” Savage said.
Prioritizing the U.S. 21 Bypass job would help, and would link with other planned widening jobs on that road to create a better corridor parallel to I-77. But that work also would largely serve and perhaps even add more pass-through traffic. Compared to the almost downtown proposal at North White, where left turns near Elisha Park create threats to safety on a narrow two-lane road.
“When there’s a problem on 77, it’s a nightmare,” Wolfe said of the U.S. 21 Bypass work. But it’s a few times a year. (North White) is an every day concern.”
Hudgins said the North White project is more safety than convenience, and the town could get more impact for a lower price there. Savage said there is value in determining which projects might be most palatable to the Pennies commission.
“I also look at, what do I think we can get?” Savage said.
Public input
Communities throughout York County face the same input process for this round of Pennies. The commission already held meetings in Tega Cay, Lake Wylie, Clover and for regional partners RFATS and Catawba Regional Council of Governments. The commission will meet June 21 in York.
The group will meet in Fort Mill on July 19, Sharon on Aug. 16 and Rock Hill on Sept. 20. The commission continues to take online public input.
Savage hears more complaints in the community about traffic than any other single issue. This Pennies process, Savage said, is one of the most impactful ways Fort Mill residents can use that voice.
“The community that complains, needs to show up,” Savage said.
Councilman Chris Moody says he still hears about the Fort Mill public meeting during the last Pennies referendum process, in 2017. The community packed the Nation Ford High School auditorium. Ultimately, the list approved by voters in 2017 included almost $36 million to widen U.S. 21 from S.C. 160 to Springfield Parkway, $23 million to widen a connected portion of Sutton Road, Spratt Street and Fort Mill Parkway and $3 million for intersection upgrades between Fort Mill and Tega Cay. Another seven Fort Mill and Tega Cay area roads made the list for resurfacing.
The meeting next month will be held at the Catawba Ridge High School auditorium.
“We need that turnout again this time,” Moody said.
While residents can be vocal, they don’t always participate at that same level. Just last week Pennies held a public meeting to detail plans for its approved widening project on Fort Mill Parkway, Sutton and Spratt in front of the new Elizabeth development, Riverview Elementary School and more.
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Savage said there may have been more town council members there than other community residents.
“You can’t just fuss and not follow through,” Savage said.
Council could have set its priority list Monday night but opted to wait. They want discussion among themselves, and to hear from the community. Road work can take years or decades to complete, so town officials see the coming decision as an uncommon opportunity they have to get right.
“We do our part and hope for the best,” Wolfe said, “because we need all of it.”
