Improvements to busy 123 in Seneca

The DOT has in the works two separate projects for safety and efficiency on a busy stretch of 123 in Seneca. One project is to start as soon as possible, while a second likely won’t begin until next summer. The approval of $30 thousand by the Oconee “C” Fund Committee will allow the Department of Transportation to construct a left turn lane from 123 onto Old Salem Road. In the opposite direction, there has been talk of a second turn lane for 123 traffic headed to 130 and the Lake Keowee communities. But Mike Smith, DOT resident maintenance engineer, says traffic backup at the lights will, for now, be addressed by a timing adjustment to the traffic light. All of this is preliminary to a federal aid project that will re-pave 123, from Lindsay Road to Old Salem Road. But Smith says the re-surfacing likely won’t start until summer.