Effingham County, City of Rincon teaming up to create East-West Corridor to ease traffic

As traffic congestion continues to impact various roads in Effingham County, local officials are teaming up to create a new passageway they hope will give residents a smooth ride throughout their daily commute.

The Effingham County Board of Commissioners and the City of Rincon are coming together to develop the East-West Corridor to reduce congestion where McCall Road and Blandford Road intersect in Rincon as the area has seen an uptick in growth. According to the U.S. Census, the county’s population was 64,769 in 2020 and estimates it rose to 71,541 in 2023, an increase of 10.5%.

"The city is very excited to be partnering with Effingham County for such a monumental project," said Rincon City Manager Jonathan Lynn. "When we talk about projects that can change the trajectory of regions, this is one of those projects."

The entire route is 5.4 miles with two miles being a newly constructed roadway. McCall Road will connect to a roundabout, which will then take motorists to Highway 21, giving drivers a more efficient way to get to Effingham Parkway, avoiding Ninth Street altogether.

"It allows us to keep the economy and freight moving through the county but reduce the perceived negative impacts on residents by allowing dedicated routes for heavy vehicles that may just be passing through," Lynn said. "We already have an established commercial corridor in the county and especially within the city, so having that dedicated route is going to not only improve our commerce corridor, but we will undoubtedly see it enhanced and thrive for generations to come."

No timeline has been given as to when construction of the new corridor will begin.

“The intersection will be moved closer to Rincon as a roundabout, which will help prevent vehicles on McCall Road from backing up as they attempt to get onto Blandford Road,” said Mark Lastinger, public information coordinator for Effingham County.

In addition, the new route will make traveling much easier for school buses and large vehicles, as drivers of those vehicles had difficulty making left turns due to the railroad crossing.

According to Lastinger, a cost for the project has not been determined yet but will be paid for through Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.