Nexton residents fight for much-needed traffic lights and audible crosswalks

SUMMERVILLE, SC (WCSC) – Summerville residents and many others who frequently use Nexton Parkway are calling for improvements to the busy roadway.

They claim that the parkway is not being upgraded enough considering the number of people moving to the Summerville area. A group of over 400 people have come together to sign a petition demanding improvements.

Nexton residents say they are demanding more traffic lights to improve safety and traffic flow in the area and are fighting for audible crosswalks.

If there is no traffic light when crossing the street, people are usually instructed to press the crosswalk button, look left, look right, and then cross the street safely.

But for many who live near Nexton Parkway, and for one particular Nexton resident, it's not that simple.

“I am visually impaired and therefore do not drive. I find it surprising how small my world has become,” says Angelica Wilson.

Wilson gave up her life in Massachusetts to live in a place where she could be independent and walk.

Wilson chose Nexton, a mixed-use community in Summerville.

“Nexton is all about being accessible by foot and golf cart,” Wilson says. When asked if she's experienced that, she said no.

Wilson says she is afraid in her own community because of the lack of accessible and walkable amenities for the visually impaired and the busy Nexton Parkway with no audible crosswalks. She feels like a prisoner in her own city.

“It feels really devastating and really horrible, but it's the truth, that's how I feel,” Wilson says.

This feeling?

“Trapped. I feel like I can't support my daughter in some way,” Wilson says.

But members of the Nexton community and those who frequently use its roads say Wilson is not the only one who feels panic when crossing Nexton Parkway.

“Lots of traffic, lots of tailgating, lots of illegal maneuvering, inability to turn left, excessive speed. I could go on forever,” said Nexton resident Jen Jones.

“We want peace. We just want a nice neighborhood,” says Barbra Chilton, another Nexton resident.

Clinton organizes a petition for hundreds of community members who are calling for more traffic lights.

“I actually have a list of over 400 residents, but that just doesn't even cover all of them,” Barbra says. “We're just asking the builders to provide us with the safety that I think our neighborhood deserves.”

Those developers, Brookfield Properties, have submitted plans in the past that include installing traffic lights at four locations along Nexton Parkway, some as early as spring 2022.

Live 5 contacted them about the progress and learned that so far only one of these traffic lights is permanent and functional. The other four are either not yet operational or are still in the planning process. When asked about the delay, they say a lot of preparation time is going into getting them ready.

“Even if there's a way to put up something temporary until permanent improvements are made, then, you know, it's worth somebody's life,” Chilton says.

At Brighton Park, a temporary light was installed and replaced with a permanent light. Brookfield Properties told us that temporary signals also go through an intensive planning phase and were particularly useful when production delays occurred during the COVID-19 period.

Nexton residents also pay what is called a “Nexton fee,” which supposedly covers “other traffic improvements, including but not limited to turn lanes, traffic signals, signage, curbs, and more.”

When asked, Brookfield Properties stated that the road improvements on Nexton Parkway were not included in the Nexton fee.

In a statement on why there are no audible pedestrian crossings along Nexton Parkway, Berkeley County said: “The County is currently evaluating the feasibility, requirements and standards for audible pedestrian crossings to improve accessibility to County-maintained road systems.”

Now questions remain unanswered and residents want answers.

“Why is the development of necessary and life-saving infrastructure not progressing at the pace at which this community is developing?” says Jones.

“What's the problem? Something like this gives so much access and security to everyone else here,” Wilson says.

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