In and around Chapin over the past few months, road work and construction around town and near the high school has increased, affecting traffic and leaving students with mixed emotions.
Major areas of road work in Chapin are on Columbia Avenue close to the school near Bojangles, on Chapin Road by St. Jacobs Church, and the Exit 91 exit ramp on Interstate 26 opening, closing and relocating several times.
All of these construction works in Chapin are a part of a wider project called “Carolina Crossroads” which is a response to the rapid growth in population in the Midlands, with construction on and around Interstate 26, Interstate 20, and Interstate 126 towards Columbia, in an attempt to add lanes to sections of these highways to reduce traffic issues.
These construction projects are intended to have beneficial long-term effects on traffic, currently the traffic appears to only be worsening. With commute times to school and work getting longer, teachers and students are left frustrated, especially during the beginning of school, when the road work seemed to be the highest which subsequently made the traffic worse during commute hours.
“The road work is making it hard to get to school on time,” said Tyson Waters, a Freshman at Chapin High School. “Teachers have gotten upset with me when I’m late because I’ve gotten caught in traffic from the construction.”
Even teachers are upset over the constant roadwork around town. According to a few teachers and administrators, tardies to first block classes have been on the rise this year. Whether it is due to the road work is unclear, however, it makes reasonable sense.
“I think it is a problem in a way, but there are ways you can get around it,” said Mrs. Alderman, when asked if she thought road work was making it hard for students to get to school on time. “It’s a problem, but it shouldn’t be. It can be avoided.”
The issues with roadwork and commutes to school are mostly occurring with students that live east of Chapin High School, near the Broad River Road area. Students that live west of Chapin High School, near Wessinger Road and Amick’s Ferry Road, for example, are reporting a drive to and from school with little to no problems.
“I don’t really have a problem coming to school,” says senior Carlo Pinelli, a student who lives in Timberlake, west of CHS.
The $2 billion dollar Carolina Crossroads project is scheduled to be finished completely by the end of 2029, so Chapin may still see effects of the road work for students for years to come.
Contributing Macey Smith
