Transportation, Infrastructure, and Traffic

[rancenc]

More housing for the east side of Spartanburg which will impact existing infrastructure.

https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/more-than-2250-homes-coming-to-the-eastside-of-spartanburg/

[roads-scholar]

9 hours ago, rancenc said:

More housing for the east side of Spartanburg which will impact existing infrastructure.

https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/more-than-2250-homes-coming-to-the-eastside-of-spartanburg/

A bypass between South Pine and I-85 via East Main (another one of my pipe dreams) needs to be built.  Should have been built decades ago. 

[Historyguy]

A bypass from South Pine to East Main and on to I-85 would also carry most of the truck traffic that currently uses Pine Street, and about which there are so many complaints.  That's going to take some concerted political effort, and it's not on any long range plans.  Property is only going to get more expensive, too.  

[spartanburgh]

On 11/7/2021 at 9:03 AM, rancenc said:

More housing for the east side of Spartanburg which will impact existing infrastructure.

https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/more-than-2250-homes-coming-to-the-eastside-of-spartanburg/

What I don't understand about the City is they have the ability to add to these annexed properties ( Olivia Springs etc.) by the 

75% rule ( land value and number of parcels).  However, I have never known of a single instance where the City exercised this

option to fill in some of the properties that should be in the City.  I think Olivia Springs has almost 100 new homes annexed

with an average value of around $180-200K . That means the City could annex 25 parcels nearby of similar value but choses

not to do so? 

[Historyguy]

I guess it has to be simultaneous - and I also guess it's harder - to do the 75-25 process.  When it's one owner - like a subdivision under development - it's a much simpler petition and ordinance.  

You're right that it might be worth it in the long run, but if it gets in the way of doing the easier process, I can see why they figure it's not worth the hassle.  

[Spartan]

On 11/11/2021 at 9:06 AM, spartanburgh said:

What I don't understand about the City is they have the ability to add to these annexed properties ( Olivia Springs etc.) by the 

75% rule ( land value and number of parcels).  However, I have never known of a single instance where the City exercised this

option to fill in some of the properties that should be in the City.  I think Olivia Springs has almost 100 new homes annexed

with an average value of around $180-200K . That means the City could annex 25 parcels nearby of similar value but choses

not to do so? 

They do it strategically. When they annexed portions of Hillbrook a few years ago, they used it to grab some other parcels along the way. The HJ specifically said they worked it out to maximize the annexation area using the 75% rule. The parcels have to be adjacent, but also parcels that the City wants to annex. Providing services to residential communities is a net loss for the most part - so you have to evaluate the cost of services. That said, I have no idea what is going into the annexations being discussed here or why they wouldn't be more proactive.

[Spartanburg Guy]

On 11/7/2021 at 6:19 PM, roads-scholar said:

A bypass between South Pine and I-85 via East Main (another one of my pipe dreams) needs to be built.  Should have been built decades ago. 

Country Club Rd to Woodburn Rd to Fernwood Dr to East Main does the same thing. It’s hard to imagine them building a road you’re talking about without displacing tons of housing through eminent domain.

I mean, I wish there was a better truck route that could help congestion on Pine St., but I just don’t see how it could be done.

Also, I think the left turn from N. Pine on to Isom St. should be a dual turn lane. That left lane can get really backed up because the one turning lane isn’t sufficient for traffic.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Spartanburg Guy

[westsider28]

1 hour ago, Spartanburg Guy said:

Country Club Rd to Woodburn Rd to Fernwood Dr to East Main does the same thing. It’s hard to imagine them building a road you’re talking about without displacing tons of housing through eminent domain.

I mean, I wish there was a better truck route that could help congestion on Pine St., but I just don’t see how it could be done.

Also, I think the left turn from N. Pine on to Isom St. should be a dual turn lane. That left lane can get really backed up because the one turning lane isn’t sufficient for traffic.

I think widening Whitestone Glendale / Clifton Glendale / Zion Hill from South Pine to East Main as a bypass is doable with minimal displacement.  And it really needs to continue on via Plainview to Cannons Campground and Gossett as a more direct route to I-85.  It would be expensive, but nothing other places haven't done and probably easier than a brand new road.  It's a shame we'll likely miss out on available federal dollars from the newly passed infrastructure bill, because none of these ideas are "shovel-ready" or even formally planned.  Does anyone know who are the proper people to contact to get some of these dreams on the road to reality?

(I wish the powers-that-be felt the same urgency we feel, because our options for road connections are rapidly dwindling with every new development that's built. We're going to be "boxed-in" in probably under 10 years...)

Edited November 16, 2021 by westsider28

[Spartanburg Guy]

7 hours ago, westsider28 said:

I think widening Whitestone Glendale / Clifton Glendale / Zion Hill from South Pine to East Main as a bypass is doable with minimal displacement.  And it really needs to continue on via Plainview to Cannons Campground and Gossett as a more direct route to I-85.  It would be expensive, but nothing other places haven't done and probably easier than a brand new road.  It's a shame we'll likely miss out on available federal dollars from the newly passed infrastructure bill, because none of these ideas are "shovel-ready" or even formally planned.  Does anyone know who are the proper people to contact to get some of these dreams on the road to reality?

(I wish the powers-that-be felt the same urgency we feel, because our options for road connections are rapidly dwindling with every new development that's built. We're going to be "boxed-in" in probably under 10 years...)

I didn’t think of Glendale Rd to Zion Hill Rd. That’s a good idea, though I’m sure a lot of property owners would be unhappy about their yards being smaller.

[roads-scholar]

7 hours ago, Spartanburg Guy said:

I didn’t think of Glendale Rd to Zion Hill Rd. That’s a good idea, though I’m sure a lot of property owners would be unhappy about their yards being smaller.

"Eventually" something's got to happen to alleviate traffic on the eastside.  Its only going to get worse.   A north-south connector of some sort needs to be planned and funded soon and before property values skyrocket and NIMBYism makes it politically problematic.  Whitestone-Glendale / Clifton-Glendale / Plainview / Cannons Campground is a bandaid and not a long-term solution.  Long term something futher east roughly paralleling the Pacolet River is the only thing that makes sense.   

[Spartanburg Dude]

I'm sure I'll get an earful for this, but what really has to happen is a Interstate Spur from I85 to 29. 

Somewhere like these 3 options...

[roads-scholar]

11 minutes ago, Spartanburg Dude said:

I'm sure I'll get an earful for this, but what really has to happen is a Interstate Spur from I85 to 29. 

Somewhere like these 3 options...

I love your boldness! 

Your GREEN corridor makes the most logical sense for a simple (non-freeway) spur to US-29.  But tying into I-85 and Business 85 cost money and our friends at SCDOT are averse to anything that costs money.  The I-85 / Gossett Road connection seems to me underutilized.  Maybe a connection there?  

Your RED and BLUE corridors make the most sense when it comes to a longer term and extensive bypass which would presumably include a connnection with US-176 and SC-295. 

I'm prepared for the howls! 

[westsider28]

1 hour ago, roads-scholar said:

"Eventually" something's got to happen to alleviate traffic on the eastside.  Its only going to get worse.   A north-south connector of some sort needs to be planned and funded soon and before property values skyrocket and NIMBYism makes it politically problematic.  Whitestone-Glendale / Clifton-Glendale / Plainview / Cannons Campground is a bandaid and not a long-term solution.  Long term something futher east roughly paralleling the Pacolet River is the only thing that makes sense.   

Interested to know why you think that corridor wouldn't be sufficient if it was 5 lanes like East Main.

1 hour ago, Spartanburg Dude said:

I'm sure I'll get an earful for this, but what really has to happen is a Interstate Spur from I85 to 29. 

Somewhere like these 3 options...

I like the green option, though I think for cost/simplicity, connecting East Main to Floyd and widening it is sufficient.

The routes closer to the Pacolet River would be very difficult for topography reasons.  I also think there's less need that far out, though I understand the need will only grow.

There's also 2 factors in play: one is the need for a truck bypass from Pine Street, which is where the Whitestone-Glendale / Clifton-Glendale / Plainview / Cannons Campground option would be the best; two is local traffic, where I think redundancy is key (i.e. more connections, more straightforward routes, targeted widening, etc).

I also think a 295 to I-26 connection is needed to get trucks off Reidville Road (JBW Blvd).

The biggest issue is that I don't hear these conversations happening at a County or State level, which is where it's needed...

[westsider28]

Here's the 2022 County paving list (PDF), which is currently out for bids.  You may not realize (I didn't) how many neighborhoods have County road upkeep.  If you don't live in these neighborhoods, you'd think the County wasn't doing much paving, but they are.  It's a strange situation.  In most states, these neighborhoods would be in municipalities.

[Sparkleman]

On 12/13/2021 at 6:00 PM, westsider28 said:

Here's the 2022 County paving list (PDF), which is currently out for bids.  You may not realize (I didn't) how many neighborhoods have County road upkeep.  If you don't live in these neighborhoods, you'd think the County wasn't doing much paving, but they are.  It's a strange situation.  In most states, these neighborhoods would be in municipalities.

This link is broken. Is there another or can you copy and paste?

[westsider28]

3 hours ago, Sparkleman said:

This link is broken. Is there another or can you copy and paste?

Glad I saved the PDF, here it is: County Repaving 2022.pdf

[Sparkleman]

I guess the positives for the city are Drayton Mill Village & Vanderbilt Hills which sit just outside the city limits with get a fresh load of tar. Who knows the last time Drayton was ever paved.

[westsider28]

Some fantastic data here on bridge conditions across Spartanburg County.  Hopefully the City / County / State are aggressively pursuing federal funding for the repair/replacement of many of these bridges.

Edited February 8, 2022 by westsider28

[roads-scholar]

2 hours ago, westsider28 said:

Some fantastic data here on bridge conditions across Spartanburg County.  Hopefully the City / County / State are aggressively pursuing federal funding for the repair/replacement of many of these bridges.

Jeez, the 1935 bridge that carries North Church Street traffic over the railroad tracks is "structurally deficient".  I drive over that bridge daily!

[mainonmain]

19 hours ago, albertmay said:

In each country there is a transportation works is going at local or international level that what we need. We see chiller van in Dubai doing the transport service who wants to take chiller van to take the cold stuff without any damage. 

If you say so, slick.

[Skyybutter]

On 11/7/2021 at 9:03 AM, rancenc said:

More housing for the east side of Spartanburg which will impact existing infrastructure.

https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/more-than-2250-homes-coming-to-the-eastside-of-spartanburg/

That's a LOT of new homes, especially with supplies being so hard to come by right now. 

 I'm curious why development wouldn't be on the western part of Spartanburg County to be closer to Greenville and it's offerings. Is it built out already on the west side?

[djh1963]

The Western End of Spartanburg is constantly growing, not much news there. The fact that more and more homes and apartments are being build downtown and on the East side, shows the strength of Spartanburg's  growth and redevelopment. Come visit sometime, its not the same place it was 5, 10, 15 years ago.

 

[westsider28]

H-J subscriber article here, but it's a pretty comprehensive list of road/bridge/intersection projects in the County that are starting this year. 

[roads-scholar]

https://spatsmpo.com/

Hope everyone can take the time to complete this survey from SPATS.  

[Spartanburg Guy]

5 hours ago, roads-scholar said:

https://spatsmpo.com/

Hope everyone can take the time to complete this survey from SPATS.  

I completed it. Here were my 5 suggestions (I would have done more but I could only list 5)

1. Adding a traffic signal at intersection of Fernwood-Glendale and Webber
2. Widening East Main St to 6 lanes
3. Widening Boiling Springs Rd to 6 lanes
4. Widening Parris Bridge Rd to 4 lanes
5. Repave Union St (and other roads)