In the hinterland areas of the County, the required density of the street network is far lower than that required in town centers due to the much lower levels of overall travel through these areas. This density need only be such that the combination of regional through-traffic and local traffic never necessitates the construction of multilane highways which, as previously explained, tend to attract the type of development that is incompatible with the town and country vision. Generally, provided that maximal connectivity is maintained, spacing of approximately ½-mile in directions of major traffic flow, and approximately one mile in low-flow directions, are optimal to ensure that a system of two-lane parallel roadways can fully handle corridor-wide traffic. 

Two-lane rural sections are the desirable form for country roads, due to their ability to be seamlessly integrated with the natural environment and the fact that no single one of them would carry enough traffic to lure problematic strip centers. Development would instead tend to occur at intersections, where retailers would enjoy visibility and accessibility from two two-lane roadways rather than just one. In the end, instead of endless expanses of strip retail development, clusters at intersections will predominate, representing in many cases the beginnings of coherent, definable towns. 

Although the final locations of new two-lane roadways throughout Richland County will depend on a multitude of factors such as topographical constraints and property availability, the town and country sketch in this report indicates several general locations where such new connections would make sense. These occur primarily in the northern part of the County where burgeoning growth forces are likely to lead to increased traffic flows. 

Most of the new north-south connections identified in the town and country sketch, particularly those in the vicinity of Farrow Road, Hard Scrabble Road, and Kennerly Road, are direct responses to future roadway-widening projects as identified in the Columbia Metropolitan Area 2018 Long Range Transportation Plan. Additional two-lane connections would increase the total north-south carrying capacity of these corridors, and hence decrease the necessity of the proposed widening projects.

The new east-west connections shown on the sketch likewise address increases in travel demand through the creation of new two-lane roadways rather than the expansion or construction of just a few major thoroughfares such as the proposed Dutch Fork Connector. 

In short, the proposed connections attempt to fill gaps in the roadway network where local and regional circulation will become problematic as the County continues to grow. One example of such a gap occurs at the crossing of the Broad River, where a new two-lane connection, as shown, would provide a more direct route between the I-26 corridor and the north central part of the County, where further additional two-lane connections would ensure efficient traffic circulation. 

8.1.7 Congaree Preserve

For obvious reasons, a dense roadway network is not an essential ingredient of the Congaree preserve. However, an adequate degree of access should be provided to ensure that all the region’s residents possess the ability to enjoy the benefits of the preserve. It is very important that careful attention be paid to the cross-sectional design of access roadways through the preserve, with the preferred section being a two-lane rural section as proposed for the “country” areas. Information displays and other contributive design features can distinguish the preserve’s thoroughfares as scenic roadways.