Will a flood-damaged road in Lexington County finally be repaired? SC Department of Transportation officials discussed road projects in a public forum at Platt Springs Methodist Church in Springdale Aug. 13. One topic was repairing the Wilton Road dam between Watling Road and I-26. The road has been impassable since the earthen dam washed out in the October 2015 flood. Repair is complicated by legal considerations, said state Rep. Micah Caskey. The SCDOT presented three possibilities: rebuild the road, redirect the road or build a bridge. Caskey said the first option to rebuild the road could have Wilton Road open in a year. “That option requires the dam owners to agree to certain conditions, like allowing SCDOT to tie-in the road to the dam and the dam owners agreeing to continue their maintenance of the dam.” Caskey said SCDOT prefers that option. SCDOT hopes the dam owners will agree to the plan by the end of September. Caskey said some property owners have already agreed. He said the option will require an environmental impact study. That may result in the road being opened in about 12 months. Springdale Mayor Michael Bishop said the option, at about $600,000, will be the least costly of three options SCDOT presented. Also attending the meeting were: Lexington County Council Chairwoman Debbie Summers, Springdale Town Council members Viki Sox Fecas and Steve Hallman, West Columbia City Council members Trevor Bedell and Mike Green, Sen. Katrina Shealy, and Rep. Mac Toole. Caskey said option two is to build or redirect the road on the downstream side of the existing road. This approach would require a bigger environmental impact study, as well as acquisition of the property. Work could take 12-18 months. Option three is to build a bridge over the existing dam and road. Option three would cost upwards of $5 - 6 million and take 18-24 months. “In my opinion, this isn’t really a viable option,” Caskey said.