Getting Answers: HWY 243

ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - We are working to get you answers about your Upstate road concerns.

This week, we’re taking a look at a bumpy road that runs through two Upstate counties.

Highway 243 takes drivers from Anderson to Oconee county, and drivers tell us most of the issues are on the Anderson County side.

You’ll see pothole after pothole all along the seven mile stretch, and drivers wrote in, asking us if crews are planning to smooth things out.

You’ll find potholes and cracks covering Highway 243, and neighbors believe the road is neglected.

“It’s an old road. It’s narrow. It’s crumbling, and we get a lot of traffic,” James Brown, who lives along Highway 243, said.

Highway 243 runs parallel to Interstate 85, near exit 4, just a few miles from the Georgia line.

“When the interstate, they have a wreck or something, they divert all the down here,” Brown said.

Brown said the extra traffic is tearing the road apart.

“A lot of potholes. You have to watch where you’re going. You could hit a hole a run off the road pretty easy if you’re not careful,” Brown said.

Glynette writes in, “HWY 243 is in desperate need of repaving. Patches have made the road like riding a rollercoaster. New potholes everyday because tractor trailers use it as a detour from interstate 85.”

Brown agrees. “You’ve got to be careful, especially when the traffic, like big trucks are coming by. This is a pretty narrow road.”

According to South Carolina Department of Transportation, around 2,800 cars hit the seven-mile stretch, from Highway 24 to the Oconee County line, daily.

Brown moved to Fair Play when he retired seven years ago.

“A lot of people are moving here, especially from out of state and I don’t know if they have taken that into consideration, as far as the traffic and the growth impacting the roads and stuff,” Brown said.

He said the road has gone downhill. “It seems to have gotten worse. If they’re going to continue to use it as an alternative route for when they have accidents on the interstate, they should at least go ahead and make the repairs.”

SCDOT is making safety improvements on Highway 243, with plans to install rumble strips along the center line.

At this point, no repaving projects are planned.

Submit your road or bridge concerns here.

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