Spartanburg's Ambitious Plan to End Traffic Deaths Faces Tragic Reality

As mentioned in our last issue, this article marks the beginning of a new series exploring how Spartanburg County is tackling its growing infrastructure challenges.

 

 

 

The numbers are staggering and represent a crisis on our local roads.

 

In the last five years, Spartanburg County has seen more than 50,000 vehicle crashes.

 

Tragically, over 1,000 of those incidents resulted in serious injury or death.

 

In response, county officials have launched a comprehensive new strategy for Spartanburg traffic safety.

 

The Spartanburg County Safety Action Plan, adopted earlier this year, is a data-driven initiative with a bold vision: to completely eliminate severe and fatal traffic injuries.

 

This marks a major shift in how the county approaches road design and policy.

 

The plan was developed after an extensive public survey in January gathered nearly 1,500 responses from residents, identifying roads that made drivers feel the most unsafe.

 

Based on that feedback and crash data, the county identified high-priority corridors for immediate action.

 

Just recently, those efforts secured a significant boost with a $16 million federal grant aimed at improving safety on Asheville Highway and North Pine Street.

 

The funding will support road diets, crosswalk improvements, and better traffic signal timing.

 

Yet, the urgency of this mission is underscored by recent events.

 

Several fatal crashes have occurred this month alone, a grim reminder of the real-world stakes behind these policy changes.

 

For many residents, these improvements can't come soon enough.

 

Officials insist that every life lost is one too many, and this new plan represents their commitment to making our transportation system safer for every driver, cyclist, and pedestrian in Spartanburg County.