Rep. Hamilton Grant, D-Columbia (front, center) speaks to reporters Monday, May 5, 2025, about a bill that would help small business owners impacted by delayed construction projects. He is accompanied by Mary Miller McClellan of 3 Generations Adult Day Care, located on the other side of Hardscrabble Road, and James Etheridge, owner of Southern Crave. (Photo by Shaun Chornobroff/SC Daily Gazette)
COLUMBIA — Rep. Hamilton Grant called a roadside news conference in his district Monday to make a point: Navigating the construction cones to get to the three stores he stood in front of can be difficult.
His demonstration essentially began with reporters figuring out where to enter the parking lot from Hardscrabble Road in northeast Columbia, where a highway widening project that was supposed to be finished in 2019 may finally be reaching its conclusion …