GETTING ANSWERS: Roper Mountain Road follow-up

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - We return to Roper Mountain Road to see if promised work is actually happening.

When last covered this road back in August 2021, it was checkered with patches. Roper Mountain is seven miles long between Anderson Ridge Road and Woodruff Road, in Greenville.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation expected to have it paved by November 2022. Well, November has come and gone. However, the construction is coming along.

Jeffrey Holden has noticed the shift.

“I’ve seen construction signs, people working on the side of the road. It looks like they’re trying to get everything situated and just try to make traffic safe for everybody,” said Holden.

It’s the first step toward improving Roper Mountain Road.

Kelsey Sams has already noticed the difference.

“Not as many potholes, which is a plus—I see a lot of change on Roper Mountain Extension,” Sams said.

Last year, Sams says the road was a mess.

“Definitely a lot of potholes, just kind of driving slower,” said Sams.

Those conditions were especially noticeable at the intersection of Raven Road. Now, Eagle Construction Company has some parts of the roads blocked to better them, one lane at a time.

Nathan Ruth is hoping for the best.

“If the roads are better, then it’s safer to drive on. If the roads are trash, with potholes and all kinds of stuff. then you’re messing up tires, messing up cars,” Ruth said.

Roper Mountain Road leads to one of the busiest places to shop, in Greenville: Woodruff Road. Almost 12,000 vehicles have to push through the construction daily, according to the SCDOT. Drivers have a list of expectations for the finished product.

“All this new construction, it’d be a good thing to add on probably some longer turning lanes or something,” said Ruth.

“Easier traffic flow, less road rage,” Holden said.

“Less traffic jams, better road conditions for our cars so that they’re not just messed up,” said Sams.

The DOT says the plan remains the same. Crews will widen both Roper Mountain Road and Roper Mountain Road Extension until Independence Boulevard, with five lanes near the Extension and three lanes to Independence—an upgrade from the former two-lane road. Plus, there will be an additional signal at Blacks Drive, as well as new bike lanes and sidewalks with this project.

“Any improvement is a good improvement. Just keep letting them do their thing,” said Holden.

Utility conflicts and relocation delays have pushed the new completion time to Fall 2023.

“I think just putting more lanes in and expanding the roads like they’re doing is really going to help out, make a lot more room for new drivers in the area,” Ruth said.

Report a roadway here.

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