Petition for a Traffic Signal and Advance Warning Light at Grady Rd & Highway 501 (Rains, SC)

To the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and Local Officials,

We, the undersigned, are urgently calling for immediate safety improvements at the intersection of Grady Road and Highway 501 in Rains, South Carolina.

This intersection—and the bridge leading into it—has become a dangerous stretch of road that has already caused multiple serious accidents and taken lives in our community. Most recently, we lost a member of our own community in a tragic wreck on the bridge approaching this intersection. This was not just another accident—this was someone’s coworker, someone’s family, someone who mattered.

While this most recent crash occurred on the bridge and not directly within the intersection, it highlights a much larger and ongoing problem: vehicles are traveling at high speeds with little warning or reason to slow down as they approach a known dangerous area.

This tragedy could have been prevented.

A traffic signal at the intersection would naturally slow traffic, creating safer conditions not only at the crossing but also along the bridge leading into it. In addition, a warning light placed before the bridge to alert drivers when the signal ahead is red would give drivers crucial time to reduce speed and react safely.

We are urgently requesting the following:

Installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Grady Road and Highway 501.
Installation of an advance warning/caution light on the bridge to alert drivers when the signal ahead is red.
Increased patrol presence and stricter enforcement of speed limits in this area to prevent reckless driving.
Our community should not have to continue losing people before meaningful action is taken. We are asking SCDOT and local officials to recognize the pattern of danger at this location and take proactive steps to prevent future tragedies.

No family, no friend, no coworker should have to experience this kind of loss again.

Please act now before another life is taken.

By signing this petition, we stand together demanding safer roads and accountability for the protection of our community.

Sign and share to help save lives.