Aiken Starts $38M Powderhouse Connector Project
Work began March 28 on the first phase of Aiken’s Powderhouse Connector project. This $38 million road project hopes to reduce traffic by 18% along one of the county’s busiest roads….
Construction road sign against a blue sky
Work began March 28 on the first phase of Aiken's Powderhouse Connector project. This $38 million road project hopes to reduce traffic by 18% along one of the county's busiest roads.
Construction teams will build a new connection between Whiskey Road at East Gate Drive and an improved Powderhouse Road. The first phase, lasting 16 months, will link Whiskey Road to Centennial Drive. A longer, three-year second phase will finish the connection to Powderhouse Road.
About 45,000 cars pass through this area daily, making it the second-busiest stretch in Aiken County. Research from 2022 showed traffic levels were 17% higher than what the road was built to handle just north of East Gate Drive.
The project is being paid for by federal and state money. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is giving $8 million, while South Carolina's State Infrastructure Bank is putting in $21.3 million. While planning started in 2004, things really got moving after 2015 when former Mayor Rick Osbon revived the plans.
