Richland County committee accepts transportation needs assessment, approves on‑call engineering roster

At a meeting of Richland County’s Transportation and Out Committee, members voted unanimously to accept a final transportation needs assessment and to approve an on‑call engineering roster that will be used to assign engineers and construction services for projects tied to the county's transportation penny and other program work.

The accepted needs assessment is the consultant's final report, which Director Maloney described as a 109‑page document dated June 5 and capped by a needs assessment spreadsheet that lists recommended locations and preliminary cost estimates. Committee members emphasized that accepting the report does not approve individual projects, nor does it establish a funding or priority order.

Director Maloney, Richland County Department of Transportation, told the committee the report compiles goals, public input gathered across the county's 11 council districts and Central Midlands COG project lists. He said the consultant updated vetted projects…