Extension to major highway to open next week

A Pickens County celebration will take place Tuesday when a ribbon is cut to open the extension of a major highway.  A 4.5 mile extension of SC 153 from the current terminus at 153 and U-S 123 near Easley to the Saluda Dam Road area is scheduled to be ready for the motoring public around 4 pm Tuesday, after years of planning and construction.  Rush Thrift of general contractor Thrift Development predicts the 153 extension will serve the purpose of being “a traffic alleviator” for motorists between Pickens, Powdersville, and I-85.  It was a $20 million dollar job, and one the largest for Thrift Development, a family road contractor based in Oconee County.