Close to 1500 new homes could be built in the near future along State Highway 19 North (Edgefield Highway) between the Aiken bypass and Interstate 20’s Exit 18. Since 2021, Aiken City Council has approved development plans for two subdivisions within city limits that will involve more than 500 new homes. Council has also approved water and sewer services for more than nine hundred new homes outside of the city limits, most recently approving services for 705 new homes in a 212-acre subdivision known as Bridge Creek. Meanwhile, no safety improvements are planned for the narrow and increasingly congested road.

by Don Moniak
March 10, 2025

In 2014, the City of Aiken, Aiken County, and SC Department of Transportation (DOT) held public meetings to gauge community sentiments over safety and future development along Highway 19 North, also known as Edgefield Highway. During the meetings, a number of major safety issues were identified by area residents (Figure 1).

Since 2014, the only progress, safety-wise, that has occurred are two new left-hand turn lanes and one new right-hand turn lane. Only one of these, a northbound left-hand turn at Good Spring Road, was constructed to improve existing traffic flow. The other two turn lanes were mandated by the County and DOT as mitigation for the traffic increase from a new subdivision called River Crossing.

Meanwhile, the bulk of the safety and congestion issues identified in 2014 have worsened with increased traffic; which SC DOT estimates as being 11,800 average vehicle trips per day. According to the latest reports from the Augusta Regional Transportation System (ARTS), no improvements are currently planned along this stretch of road.

The five-mile stretch of State Highway 19 North (also known as Edgefield Highway) between I-20’s Exit 18 and the Aiken bypass (Hwy 118) is arguably one of the most dangerous major roads, if not the most dangerous, in Aiken County.

A two-lane thoroughfare for its entire length—except for a 0.2-mile stretch of four-lane through the small commercial district south side of Exit 18–the road meanders through three long curves, a few straightaways, and one traffic signal. The near-absence of wide shoulders results in the Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s Office generally taking a hands-off approach to enforcing traffic laws.

Turn lanes are absent at the the busiest intersection at Reynolds Pond Road, as well as at every other of a half-dozen junctions; all of which commonly lead to traffic backups.

The road passes through a steady mix of residential, commercial, institutional, and light industrial land uses; including about fifty homes, three churches, one restaurant, one busy gas station/convenience store, a Dollar General, a barber shop and seasonal fruit stand, two beauty salons, a daycare center, two used car lots, three auto repair shops, a metals recycling center, two construction offices, two self-storage enterprises, a private nightclub, a screened road rubble storage property, a major electric substation, a dusty, empty lot that doubles as a flea market, and a well-screened, 30-acre automotive junk yard.

Nearly every homeowner and business on the west side of the road has mailboxes on the east side of the road; residents must navigate through fast and heavy traffic just to retrieve their mail.

The presence of so much private property along the route complicates the potential for any proposed road widening or other access enhancements. Any plan for improvements would face the daunting task of a heavy dosage of eminent domain. Simply put, unlike University Parkway or Hwy 78, widening of Edgefield Highway is almost an impractical option.

In spite of these limitations, the City of Aiken began moving forward, beginning in 2019, with utility upgrades, particularly sewer services, in the Exits 18 and 22 areas. The intent was to service and attract new commercial and residential development—including an effort to attract one major new business around Exit 18, widely rumored to be a Buc-cee’s travel plaza.

But whereas a modern, wide, four-lane road (Highway 1N) with a continuous middle turn lane for a median (1) leads to Exit 22, the road leading to Exit 18 (Hwy 19N) remains a winding two-lane with a meager scattering of turn lanes.

Despite the lack of safety improvements, three new subdivisions along the route have been approved since 2021, and a larger fourth one is under proposal. Two of the subdivisions, 150-home Portrait Hills and 330-home Rutland Place, are in the City of Aiken; while the other two, the 200-home River Crossing and the proposed 705-home Bridge Creek, are on unincorporated county lands, but subject to future annexation.

The proposed 705-home Bridge Creek subdivision (Figures 3 and 4 below), which is located on 214 acres along Highway 19 and between Croft Mill and Mayfield Roads, has the potential to add the most new congestion because of its size and the fact that the only proposed access is along Hwy 19. (As a point of reference, the massive Trolley Run Station subdivision currently has approximately 1,066 housing units).

Both access points are proposed at locations along long curves (Figures 4 and 5 below) The developer also plans to intrude upon residents who reside on Alan Drive, a cul-de-sac neighborhood also known as Bedford Park.

The Aiken City Council, with minimal discussion, approved water and sewer service for Bridge Creek on January 27, 2025. The ultimate decision on access and project size will be determined by Aiken County’s Planning Commission or by Aiken County Council. To date, no application has been submitted to the County planning department.

Footnotes:

(1). There are a few dedicated turn lanes, but most of the Hwy 1N median is designed for either left or right-hand turns.

(2) Developer’s description of the proposed Bridge Creek subdivision. (click to enlarge).