In June 1981, Route 175 in Columbia's Long Reach village was a two-lane road, and residents wanted to keep it that way.
Representatives of the State Highway Administration came to Jeffers Hill Elementary School to give a presentation of a proposed road-widening between U.S. 29 and Snowden River Parkway, but many residents voiced opposition.
One resident said the divided highway would split Long Reach village and create a social barrier between residents on either side of the road. He also said that the wider roadway would be unsafe for the densely populated area surrounding it and that noise levels would be higher because of increased truck traffic.