Traffic Congestion, Road Construction, & Improvement Projects

[Urban Infill]

My line of thought addressed only the improvements. However your line of thinking may address the overhead utilities problem. Most national retailers and/or other high end developments are going to bury the power line in front of their site for aesthetic reasons (which they will have to do so at their expense).

What do you think the next major site to be developed is going to be (besides the urban walmart site) The redevelopment of County Square is something I hope to see in the next 10 years. We shall see......

[GvilleSC]

What do you think the next major site to be developed is going to be (besides the urban walmart site) The redevelopment of County Square is something I hope to see in the next 10 years. We shall see......

I think County Square definitely lends itself to being a mega redevelopment site. But, in terms of general development, I would not be surprised to see more residential along the corridor, especially on the west side where we already have seen the new single family homes of Chicora Crest.

[vicupstate]

Brown Street was one step above an alley before(barely). Now it looks like someplace you would actually like to be. The appearance will be improved once the trees turn green and get better established. What were you expecting anyway?

The Church Street work is still in progress too, let's be realistic. It already looks much better.

[Gville2012]

Hard to judge Church st. at this point. The landscaping, medians, and new lighting have not been installed. Those three things are a bulk of the aesthetic additions. The road being repaved and uniform will also help vs the current hodgepodge of fill in spots.

[gman430]

While work is still indeed in progress on Church Street, I just can't call this road project that will keep overhead powerlines and same width sidewalks an "improvement" one.

[vicupstate]

The sidewalks ARE wider in some areas, but not throughout, AND they are separated from the curb as well, in nearly all areas. Previously there was no separation, which is much less pedestrian-friendly.

I'd love for the power lines to be gone too, but that's the breaks.

BTW, the Gville News said the power line relocations/removal for Augusta/Camperdown/Haywood Mall would start in April and finish by October.

Edited February 1, 2012 by vicupstate

[GvilleSC]

BTW, the Gville News said the power line relocations/removal for Augusta/Camperdown/Haywood Mall would start in April and finish by October.

Does anyone know if this (more of less) exhausts the burial fund for commercial lines? It's taken 6 years to get here. Just curious as to if we might see various additional burials each year, or if it will take a replenishing of the account before another round...?

[Gville2012]

Two of the new medians have been installed on Church St. I am not sure, but it looks like they are running wire for additional sidewalk lights. They had run what I thought was all of the connectors before they laid the sidewalk, but yesterday they were ripping up sidewalk and running more. Hopefully the lighting will go up soon.

[gman430]

The archways are now almost completely installed on Brown Street.

WYFF had a story on the Salters Road widening project but I only caught the end of it. Can anybody tell more? Is it about to start construction?

Edited February 9, 2012 by citylife

[GvilleSC]

The archways are now almost completely installed on Brown Street.

WYFF had a story on the Salters Road widening project but I only caught the end of it. Can anybody tell more? Is it about to start construction?

No idea. Will Salters Rd become another street similar (aesthetically) to Church Street, Millennium Blvd, Fair Forest Way, Carolina Point Parkway, Market Point Drive, etc? Obviously the bike lanes will be nice, but I wonder if the similar landscaping and lighting systems will be incorporated...?

[gman430]

In my opinion it ranks a solid 8.5 out of 10. I noticed workers on site earlier today also so they're not completely finished with it yet:

Edited February 17, 2012 by citylife

[Lib]

There are big brick pillars on either side of Coffee Street (one in front of Groucho's and one in front of Corner Pocket) that say Bergamo. Have these always been there or were they relocated from the construction across the street?

[gman430]

According to the Greenville News, the Salters Road improvement project will cost $10.5 million and is slated to start construction in late 2013. Four lanes, new bridge, bike lanes, and landscaping will all be included.

There are big brick pillars on either side of Coffee Street (one in front of Groucho's and one in front of Corner Pocket) that say Bergamo. Have these always been there or were they relocated from the construction across the street?

If I recall correctly, they have always been there.

Edited February 19, 2012 by citylife

[Greenville]

As mentioned in another thread, I'm not seeing many opportunities for Brown Street to become more pedestrian friendly aside from the parking lot across from Brown Street Club. The back of one building fronts Brown Street, so unless that building is torn down or somehow reconfigured, it is pedestrian "dead space." The same goes for the light-colored building across Brown Street, with plenty of windows but seemingly no space for ground level bar/restaurant/retail space.

I know I've been really negative about this, but just because Brown Street Club (which I like a lot) is located on this street it doesn't mean that this street has loads of potential. I can think of other downtown streets that could become our "live music district" with a lot more pedestrian friendliness.

[swu_BA_student]

I've heard some unsubstantiated talk that the biggest reason this happened is because the owner of the BSC is loaded and has a lot of pull with the city. Unless that white office building is being remodeled with ground retail, this was a big waste of tax payer money. Not that this type of project is bad, just that Brown st was undeserving.

Edited February 20, 2012 by swu_BA_student

[vicupstate]

I can think of other downtown streets that could become our "live music district" with a lot more pedestrian friendliness.

Can you give a couple of examples?

I have to say the lock of vision on this is pretty amazing. There is not one foot of this block that doesn't have potential to be improved in one way or another.

One thing that I think is overlooked here, is that once the Federal building is built (yes, that may be awhile, but it will happen eventually), the economic pressure to build on the parking lots will increase even more.

[Greenville]

Can you give a couple of examples?

I have to say the lock of vision on this is pretty amazing. There is not one foot of this block that doesn't have potential to be improved in one way or another.

One thing that I think is overlooked here, is that once the Federal building is built (yes, that may be awhile, but it will happen eventually), the economic pressure to build on the parking lots will increase even more.

I haven't seen the new and improved Brown Street in person, but I'm sure it looks a lot different than last time I saw it.

As for other streets to use for a live music district, I think Augusta Street has a lot of potential and also has the advantage of being in the West End (which, to me, currently has a somewhat livelier vibe than city center). Several offshoots of Main, such as Broad Street and Washington, have potential too. Even Laurens Street, with the things going on there, could be fun.

I guess my biggest problem with Brown Street is the fact that, other than the surface lot, the short block is made even shorter by the wasted space taken up by the back of one building and an office building across the street with no available street frontage either.

[johnpro318]

I haven't seen the new and improved Brown Street in person, but I'm sure it looks a lot different than last time I saw it.

As for other streets to use for a live music district, I think Augusta Street has a lot of potential and also has the advantage of being in the West End (which, to me, currently has a somewhat livelier vibe than city center). Several offshoots of Main, such as Broad Street and Washington, have potential too. Even Laurens Street, with the things going on there, could be fun.

I guess my biggest problem with Brown Street is the fact that, other than the surface lot, the short block is made even shorter by the wasted space taken up by the back of one building and an office building across the street with no available street frontage either.

I'm kind of excited for Brown Street and the streetscaping because private money follows public investment. Laurens and Brown are both becoming pedestrian streets with Main Street in the middle. What's the problem with trying to expand the pedestrian environment? Washington and Broad are too traveled for this type of streetscaping and they have already been redone in the past few years. I do, however, think that they should have just done regular sidewalks because those stained concrete places do not make the sidewalk look like a piano at all. Since Laurens and Brown are very short compared to the rest of the streets, it makes since to try and create these as pedestrian friendly streets in my opinion.

[gman430]

The improvement projects along McBee Avenue across from CVS, along Main Street in front of the Greenville News building, and on the Main Street block in front of The Chocolate Moose have started construction.

Edited February 21, 2012 by citylife

[gman430]

The Salters Road improvement project is slated to start construction in late 2013. Here is info that was recently issued regarding the project: http://www.scdot.org/public/pdfs/SaltersRoad_Handout.pdf

This is fantastic to see for Highway 123 in Easley and much needed in my opinion: http://www.theeasley...tification-plan Helps saves tax-payer dollars also due to companies sponsoring/paying for the plantings:

Edited February 22, 2012 by citylife

[GvilleSC]

I like the fact that project stakeholders are currently looking at options to fund improved bridge aesthetics. Exactly where the money should come from-- locally.

I hope that the "grass median" also becomes invested in by the City and becomes well planted like millennium blvd.

[GvilleSC]

The improvement projects along McBee Avenue across from CVS, along Main Street in front of the Greenville News building, and on the Main Street block in front of The Chocolate Moose have started construction.

For Main Street, is this a continuation of the tree replacement work, or a different scope of work?

[GvilleSC]

Mauldin's Main Street improvements are making visible progress. A portion of the new lighting fixtures are up (mostly near the old Capri's), and trees have been planted. I'm concerned that this, while an improvement, will be rather underwelming when complete. Closer to Greenville, they've left lots of excess asphalt between the travel lanes and new curb. The median at the Greenville/Mauldin city divide has been landscaped as you enter Mauldin.

I typed an additional two paragraphs about my frustration with Mauldin's apparant small-town mindset, but I'm not going to rant on this today. It's Monday.

[goodbye]

The new light fixtures along Church Street are quite elegant.

They definitely increase the level of attractiveness in that area.

[gman430]

Fairforest Way: