Roads in University Place (UP), off-campus residence buildings for students, have been subject to flooding amidst recent rainfall and South Carolina tropical storms.
One of the community’s main entryways located off S.C. 544 next to McAlister’s Deli, Residence Boulevard, has experienced the worst of the flooding upon exposure to this heavy rainfall.
Many residents find the problem to be a disadvantage, including Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Vice President and UP resident adviser Ryleigh Gregory.
“It has definitely been an inconvenience, there’s been plenty of times I’ve turned down Residence Boulevard to enter UP and had to turn around due to the flooding,” Gregory said.
Gregory also raised concerns regarding the overall safety of students and UP residents.
“I think that one day a car will end up getting flooded. Along with this, it just causes general backups for the other exits and entrances,” she said.
Hayden Carter, a sophomore business management major who resides in UP, has had a similar experience. However, he said he doesn’t believe it poses safety concerns since the roads get blocked off for that reason.
“It has affected my travel because it blocks the main way into UP, but it hasn’t made me late or anything like that,” Carter said.
Both Carter and Gregory noted that the issue should be a priority for the University, which Justin Poindexter, director of auxiliary facilities and housing operations, expressed that it is.
“During our investigation of the issue last month, the main drain pipe directly below Residence Boulevard was unsuccessfully jetted and scoped from both ends,” Poindexter said. “It was determined that a 30-foot portion of the drain pipe was inaccessible by scope. Simply put, there is a significant clog, most likely due to tree roots from an adjacent tree and debris.”
He said the University has requested a quote to dig out and replace the impacted section of the drain pipe, which will be a project for this upcoming winter break at the earliest. According to Poindexter, this project will require significant roadwork, so it is important to schedule the repair for a time that will cause the least amount of disruption for students and transportation.
In the meantime, precautionary signs have been put in place to warn students of the possible safety hazards.
