by CHARLES WARNER

Part of the Old Buffalo Road will become a dead end Friday.

The City of Union is closing the section of the road between U.S. 176 and S.C. 215 to help relieve traffic congestion. The road passes between McDonalds and the new Wal-Mart Supercenter to form an intersection with S.C. 215 and Meansville Road.

Mayor Harold Thompson said traffic was already heavy at the intersection due to the presence of Union Christian Day School on Meansville Road and Buffalo Elementary School on S.C. 215. He said it has increased since McDonald’s opened and will get even heavier once Wal-Mart opens. The supercenter’s S.C. 215 entrance/exit is next to the Old Buffalo Road and across from Meansville Road.

Thompson said the S.C. 215 end of the road will be closed and a traffic light will be installed between Meansville Road and the supercenter’s entrance/exit. He noted that both the day school and Buffalo Elementary asked that the road be closed and a traffic light be installed to regulate traffic at the intersection.

Jerry Brannon, resident maintenance engineer for the S.C. Department of Transportation, said closing the road and installing the traffic light is an opportunity to address long-standing problems at the intersection. Over the years there have been several accidents and numerous complaints about near misses. Brannon said the light and closing the road will address those problems.