Gravel roads in northeast Richland County (Columbia, Hampton: 2015, apartments, day care)
Columbia areaColumbia - Lexington - Irmo
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Why are some small portions of roads in northeast Richland County gravel instead of paved? I have in mind short stretches of Barbara Drive (just beyond the Hampton Inn as you go away from Two Notch, before you get to those apartments) and North Chelsea Street where it borders Sesqui State Park. The North Chelsea stretch between the Korean Methodist Church and the Hindu temple (used to be Adlerian Child Care) feels like you are way up in the mountains, even though you're only a few hundred feet from Two Notch.
I never cease to be pleasantly amazed at how Sesqui is this large expanse of deep pine forest and hiking trails right in the middle of suburbia, but then again, when it was built, none of this development was out here. Very peaceful, I want to take my son camping when they re-open the campground, five minutes from home and a world away. (But the fishing area is gross --- basically an outdoor privy for waterfowl. Park Road Park in Charlotte has the same problem.)
Why are some small portions of roads in northeast Richland County gravel instead of paved? I have in mind short stretches of Barbara Drive (just beyond the Hampton Inn as you go away from Two Notch, before you get to those apartments) and North Chelsea Street where it borders Sesqui State Park. The North Chelsea stretch between the Korean Methodist Church and the Hindu temple (used to be Adlerian Child Care) feels like you are way up in the mountains, even though you're only a few hundred feet from Two Notch.
I never cease to be pleasantly amazed at how Sesqui is this large expanse of deep pine forest and hiking trails right in the middle of suburbia, but then again, when it was built, none of this development was out here. Very peaceful, I want to take my son camping when they re-open the campground, five minutes from home and a world away. (But the fishing area is gross --- basically an outdoor privy for waterfowl. Park Road Park in Charlotte has the same problem.)
The only thing I can think of its that they are so low traffic that they are not a priority and thus want to prioritize other streets that serve larger populations and traffic volumes.. There also may be some interest in reducing impervious surfaces/run off and that could also be accomplished through reducing pavement. The other issue is.. they just dont to pay for it. LOL... If there are residents and or businesses on those streets they may want to to be that way as well.. I know some folks in some rural areas prefer dirt roads..(believe it or not) and that portion of Richland County used be to rural even exurbia through the 80s so there may be some pockets that want to stay intact
The only thing I can think of its that they are so low traffic that they are not a priority and thus want to prioritize other streets that serve larger populations and traffic volumes.. There also may be some interest in reducing impervious surfaces/run off and that could also be accomplished through reducing pavement. The other issue is.. they just dont to pay for it. LOL... If there are residents and or businesses on those streets they may want to to be that way as well.. I know some folks in some rural areas prefer dirt roads..(believe it or not) and that portion of Richland County used be to rural even exurbia through the 80s so there may be some pockets that want to stay intact
I have even wondered if, in the case of that "little West Virginia" for a few hundred feet at the end of North Chelsea Drive, they wish to discourage its being used as a shortcut to avoid traffic on Two Notch Road, and nothing would discourage that like keeping it as a bumpy dirt and gravel road. That is how I first discovered it --- once, in exasperation at the evening commute (TNR is not built for the kind of traffic it has in the year 2021), I decided to see if I could take a shortcut through the Briarwood area, at the intersection of TNR and Maingate Drive (between the Food Lion [ex-Bi-Lo] and Big Lots shopping centers), and presto, there it was, "dirt road, wow!", brought me out just this side of Sesqui where they used to have the Adlerian day care which is now the Hindu temple.
Back in 2015 when we had the floods, I was happy the gravel roads existed. Many up here in Blythewood avoid them and it allowed me to avoid a lot of the worst intersections
I have even wondered if, in the case of that "little West Virginia" for a few hundred feet at the end of North Chelsea Drive, they wish to discourage its being used as a shortcut to avoid traffic on Two Notch Road, and nothing would discourage that like keeping it as a bumpy dirt and gravel road. That is how I first discovered it --- once, in exasperation at the evening commute (TNR is not built for the kind of traffic it has in the year 2021), I decided to see if I could take a shortcut through the Briarwood area, at the intersection of TNR and Maingate Drive (between the Food Lion [ex-Bi-Lo] and Big Lots shopping centers), and presto, there it was, "dirt road, wow!", brought me out just this side of Sesqui where they used to have the Adlerian day care which is now the Hindu temple.
Ha... you just sealed its fate that it will never be paved.. Someone sitting in a rocking chair with a shot gun saw you drive down it and is now convinced that there is too much traffic on it and will try to make it a dead end...
On a serious note.. it looks like it runs through a portion of Sesqui which is why it will likely not be paved.. The only other inhabitant appears to be a Korean Methodist Church.
Ha... you just sealed its fate that it will never be paved.. Someone sitting in a rocking chair with a shot gun saw you drive down it and is now convinced that there is too much traffic on it and will try to make it a dead end...
On a serious note.. it looks like it runs through a portion of Sesqui which is why it will likely not be paved.. The only other inhabitant appears to be a Korean Methodist Church.
I wondered about that myself, but according to the map, North Chelsea Road never enters Sesqui proper. Sesqui begins about 150 feet east of North Chelsea at its closest point just southwest of the two churches across from what is now the Hindu temple. The members of the temple have just painted the building the color of orange sherbet ice cream with darker orange trim, it's really very striking. They also seem to have a swimming school on the premises, whether it's affiliated with the temple, or rented to a secular entity as the highest and best use of a pre-existing swimming pool, I don't know.
One thing I find fascinating about Columbia, especially here in the northeast where the elevation is higher, is that there are so many wooded and secluded pockets that give the feeling of being in the deep country, even though you're only minutes from suburban amenities.
I wondered about that myself, but according to the map, North Chelsea Road never enters Sesqui proper. Sesqui begins about 150 feet east of North Chelsea at its closest point just southwest of the two churches across from what is now the Hindu temple. The members of the temple have just painted the building the color of orange sherbet ice cream with darker orange trim, it's really very striking. They also seem to have a swimming school on the premises, whether it's affiliated with the temple, or rented to a secular entity as the highest and best use of a pre-existing swimming pool, I don't know.
One thing I find fascinating about Columbia, especially here in the northeast where the elevation is higher, is that there are so many wooded and secluded pockets that give the feeling of being in the deep country, even though you're only minutes from suburban amenities.
Interesting indeed.. Isnt it also in the Sandhills which stretches through a large swath of the NE and gives it those sandy soils unlike other parts of Richland County.. NE Richand NW Richland and Lower Richland all have different landscapes.... hilly to flat, to sandy from one section to the next...
Interesting indeed.. Isnt it also in the Sandhills which stretches through a large swath of the NE and gives it those sandy soils unlike other parts of Richland County.. NE Richand NW Richland and Lower Richland all have different landscapes.... hilly to flat, to sandy from one section to the next...
It is very interesting topography. We are right on the crest of the Sandhills, what look to be sea oats grow along the road, and everything is downhill from us, elevation 420 feet. (Interesting altitude, I'm sure it could invite jokes about how "high" the elevation is , and just to clarify, I'm not a user.) If you get as far west as parts of Wilson Boulevard, you start seeing clay, and by the time you get out around Monticello Road, the Sandhills are no more. It's a very thin strand of territory.
My son and I were on North Chelsea just yesterday, and we noticed that there was a sign on the Two Notch Road side (near the two churches and the Hindu temple) for the Korean Methodist church, with an arrow saying that it was "200 m" (i.e., meters) down the gravel part of North Chelsea. This seems to indicate that they have congregants who were born and educated in South Korea, and thus would be more familiar with meters. People educated in the US would, at best, have to stop and say "how much is that in feet?", or might even say "I have no idea what that is supposed to mean". Korean families tend to value education, so I have to assume they would know what meters "are", and be able to do a quick mental calculation --- as I did when explaining it to my son, and we are not Korean --- but it was still kind of bizarre to see the distance indicated in meters instead of feet or fractions of a mile.
My son and I were on North Chelsea just yesterday, and we noticed that there was a sign on the Two Notch Road side (near the two churches and the Hindu temple) for the Korean Methodist church, with an arrow saying that it was "200 m" (i.e., meters) down the gravel part of North Chelsea. This seems to indicate that they have congregants who were born and educated in South Korea, and thus would be more familiar with meters. People educated in the US would, at best, have to stop and say "how much is that in feet?", or might even say "I have no idea what that is supposed to mean". Korean families tend to value education, so I have to assume they would know what meters "are", and be able to do a quick mental calculation --- as I did when explaining it to my son, and we are not Korean --- but it was still kind of bizarre to see the distance indicated in meters instead of feet or fractions of a mile.
My son and I were actually back out on that road today (we live nearby) and we measured the distance from the sign to the Korean church. According to our car's trip odometer, it is roughly four-tenths of a mile, or about 2000 feet (give or take). That is about 600 meters, not 200 meters. So they need a new sign. (Or a shorter road )
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