Providence Road extension

In the works since early February and scheduled for completion in November, the Providence Road extension will connect Vandiver Drive with Blue Ridge Road.

Fresh concrete pavement makes its way northward on the Providence Extension.

The extension of Providence by about three-quarters of a mile and the widening of Range Line Street, a parallel north-south connector four blocks to the east of Providence, will help relieve traffic congestion in north Columbia.

Looking south, rushhour commuters turn off of Blue Ridge Road and head north on Providence Road past the extension, currently under construction.

The project, built by Emery Sapp & Sons of Columbia and funded by a capital improvement sales tax approved in November 2005, includes new sidewalks, a bridge over Bear Creek and a trail along the creek. Upon completion, plans for the intersection include a new fire station at the northwest corner of Providence and Blue Ridge Road and a 150,000 square-foot shopping center at the southwest corner of Blue Ridge Road and Range Line Street.