GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) — Greenville City Council approved a list of road and pedestrian safety projects to be funded from $20 million of the state’s budget.
The following projects will be funded:
- Cultural Corridor/Academy Bypass: $6 million
- Wade Hampton Corridor Safety Improvement: $2.5 million
- Queen Street Bridge Design – Phase 1: $130,000
- Pedestrian Safety Action Plan: $2.5 million
- East North Street Gateway Design: $370,000
- Pendleton/Vardry Intersection: $1.3 million
- Augusta Street Utility Undergrounding: $5.8 million
- Stone Avenue Corridor Safety Improvements: $1.4 million
“We took infrastructure projects that we already had funded, but this allowed us to match the funding as well as accelerate the projects,” Mayor Knox White said.
Among the projects is East North Street, which connects I-385 to downtown Greenville. The city plans to widen the sidewalks to and from Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
“These are major corridors in our city,” White said. “They’re all corridors that are really becoming vibrant – lots of investment, shops, stores and restaurants.”
The city also plans to widen sidewalks along College Street and convert it from a four-lane road to a three-lane road to slow down traffic. It is part of a plan to create the Cultural Corridor, which will connect Main Street to the Hughes Library and museums in Heritage Green. That project will begin in the next two months, according to the city.
Meanwhile on Augusta Road, the city has its eyes on the utility poles between Cateechee Avenue and Faris Road.
“Along the stretch of Augusta Road, the poles are just inches away from cars and traffic,” White explained. “They get hit all the time. When they do get hit, the lights go out all over the Augusta Road area. Secondly, the poles themselves, there are very few that are straight. They’re all at angles.”
The city will spend $10 million to move the utility poles underground and make other improvements.
