AUGUSTA, GA NEW SPAGHETTI INTERCHANGE- IS IT GROWING 2 FAST

[augga706]

Im just wondering who thinks Augusta might be growing to fast. With the spaghetti interchange construction taking place this summer, the Augusta Mall expansion & Village at Riverwatch, Forum of Augusta, condos & lofts downtown. The new library, new terminal at airport, augusta canal u can take boat trips now maybe 1 day to savannah, new interstates I-3 & I-14, MCG & University expansion, I-20 widening with more exits, T-Mobile building Headquarters here, 520 widening to north augusta, 15-20ft judicial center, exhibiton/convention centers, downtown stadium, james brown museum, hotels poppin up everywhere & so many possible developments like a water park downtown and the proposed race track in south augusta or somewhere else. I know Augusta has over half a million people but augusta housing prices are rising compared to the national average. New houses in south augusta being built are 100k and up & even more expensive in evans. Do u think major parts of Augusta will become like NY(Manhattan) or MIA(South Beach) where only the rich and uppities live. Where hardworking people can not even afford to live in certain parts of the city. If so it will probably be parts of downtown, wheeler rd, washington rd, or some upscale townhouses & condos in West Augusta, Martinez, Aiken, North Augusta, Grovetown, or Evans . Are these chicago, atlanta, & dallas mainly developers making our city better or worst. Imagine traffic on washington rd or wrightsboro on a regular week or even masters week with the village of riverwatch, augusta exchange, the forum, augusta mall, and new interchange within 5-7 miles of each other.

[109investments]

augusta is getting huge!

[augga706]

i agree augusta is growing downtown added 50 or 60 new businesses in 06 but with all the new construction mainly in North Augusta, Evans, Martinez, or West Augusta u wouldnt even know. I guess until the build the two 10ft watermark condos(2 or 3 presently downtown) or until the start construction on the new 15-20ft judicial center or something very tall in stature downtown everybody will continue to think only the suburbs in augusta are growing like sandysprings in atlanta. Downtown is the center of every major city in the states. Richmond County finally is not losing population but gaining even if only 500 or 1000, columbia & aiken county are still growing, but atleast Richmond County can say ppl are movin back to the city.

[andremurra]

Do you have a photo or rendering of this "spaghetti junction" for Augusta?

[augga706]

Augusta's I-20 520 spaghetti interchange

[augga706]

some of Metro Augusta to let ppl know whats happening jus pics of Richmond County not the whole metro

new million dollar library downtown

on phase 3 of 4 of new terminal at Augusta Regional

Augusta Canal

Downtown & Medical District Pictures

The Riverwalk & FT. Discovery

2 of several new lifetsyle centers The Village at Riverwatch & The Forum at Augusta

[socaguy]

Honestly I dont think Augusta is growing fast enough, especially compared with other neighboring cities like Atlanta, Columbia or Greenville. The population is growing but not booming except in certain areas (Columbia County). All the new projects look promising but it may be over a decade before we see many of them complete. Its about time Augusta built something new besides Medical buildings or Shopping centers.

So it looks like the new library is started...or at least demo work has begun. Anyone have any renderings or even stats like how many floors?

Great pics btw.

[augga706]

Augusta is growing not like atlanta but i think close to columiba & greenville. Some major ones probably 5yrs or so but these projects done by

tall hotels everywhere on washington,claussen,stevenscreek,riverwatch, 4-6 months some already or close to being up

T-mobile Headquarters started already

ADP building started already

520 widening started already

I-20 Widening from Belair to Riverwatch started already

Walton Way overpass & new exits started already

Spaghetti Interchange starts june 07 done by 09-10

palmetto parkway 09

watermark condos 08

j.b. whites building retail/residential 08

augusta mall 07

forum 08

library 08

airport 07

village at riverwatch 09

and more

South Augusta(new homes from 100k to 300k selling fast all the time in diamond lakes, willis foreman rd, Hephzibah, even the goshen area S.Aug added 2 elementary schools this year & this plans to build another middle & high. Remember crosscreek,butler,hephzibah,glennhills this will be 5 high schools for just 1 side of richmond county not even the whole metro.

West Augusta(new neighborhoods & communites on belair rd & jimmie dyess being built everyday and houses in Belair Estates. Jimmie Dyess-S.Belair has or started on zaxbys, 6-7 banks, ft.gordon bank, beasley broadcast, law firms, village at crossroads hospital, 3 daycares, kfc, foodlion, lounges, 8-9 mixed used centers, Burger King, Wendys, Cracker Barrel,3 waffle house, popeys,10-15 gas stations, 10-15 hotels, car washes, auto repair shops, bars, teen driving school, & others & remember this is only 1 street in west richmond county theres more stores when Belair reaches Evans sprawl

East Augusta(Lake Olmstead Apartments rennovation started already, finally improvements being made to historic areas like harrisburg,east boundary,old towne and more. Patridge Inn makeover started already, mcg & university stared already.

Downtown(white's building new residential,watermark condos, enterprise mill lofts,kessel Bakery,Olde Town, Uptown, firehouse apartments, Third St. Commons,

Downtown has a median income of 45,000 and has almost 7,000 residence

(2005 stats) Thats good for a city the size of augusta especially went our downtown is just coming back now.

I was naming newly built homes because thats how you tell if your city is growing and richmond county housing market is pretty healthy. People move in then compaines move in, then jobs,tourist attracitons, etc. Augusta has the richest ppl outside atl developers see the potential that's why mayor deke is always smiling on tv. Amtrak & Augusta have never stop talking to each other we already have the old railroads from when augusta downtown was like atlanta. The Masters makes Augusta too much money for amtrak not to consider .With the new interchange connecting richmond county to all its metros like Aiken, Evans, N.Aug,Grovetown, Harlem, Martinez, Thomson, Waynesboro plus amtrak to connect our metros & I-3 & I-14 running directly through the city Augusta surely will be bigger than any sc state by 2010-2015. Columbia is not that big really i think columbia has 2 or 3 malls, greenville has 2, augusta had 2 now 1 now 2 again, aiken has 1, & evans will have 1 probably by then. So we have just as many now as them & could have 4 or 5 in metro augusta with 1 returning back to S.Aug

[Pillsbury]

^ Nice pictures Augga.

[PJA]

I don't believe we're growing too fast. I think we are just playing catch up with our population. With a population of half a million, we should have had a lot of these things by now like the new library, airport expansion, Amtrak etc.

[augga706]

Most big projects dont begin until summer 07 or late 07. I know for a fact by this time next yr augusta and i mean jus richmond county will look totally different. It may not seem like alot of construction, but augusta is to big to see all the construction going on. If your mainly in evans how can u see all the construction in south augusta. If your in s. aug mainly how can u see whats happening in martinez consistanly. If your in martinez how can u see all the new improvements to downtown or grovetown. Every area of augusta is growing all the time. Ppl in Hephzibah dont know whats being built in west augusta every day & vice versa. North Augusta, Thomson , Waynesboro, have their own sprawl plus we could add lincoln, edgefield, washington, wilkes, barnwell, jefferson, emanuel, warren, counties.

[socaguy]

Is T-mobile building its headquarters in Augusta or, as i recall, is it just going to be a call center?

AND...it is mentioned that both ADP and T-Mobile have started building...where? How big are these places going to be? Will they be multilevel buildings or just the standard 1-2 floor giant boxes so common for a call center?

[augga706]

i think both headquarters & call center. Not national i think but southeast headquarters. They're building right beside I-20 & wheeler rd exit. You have to drive down wheeler rd close by the new sonic, its right beside a gas staion. How tall i dont know but that is alot of land and doctors hospital has some nice size buildings so there shouldnt be a height restriction for that area. ADP im not sure i just heard construction has started. Although in the stevens creek, cluassen, riverwatch, area there are some new unfinished buildings. Just dont know if 1 of them is ADP or all these new upscale hotels.

[socaguy]

Thanks augga706,

I think that new 3-4 storey building on Stevens Creek rd. near Claussen rd is going to be a new headquarters for Husquavarna, at least that is what someone from Fridgidare (who own Husquavarna) told me.

Someone on this thread said that it might be ADP but that wasnt even announced until well after construction on this mystery building began.....Plus they said temporary offices would be somewhere in the Wheeler rd./Doctors Hospital area.

[CanukInAugusta]

Thanks augga706,

I think that new 3-4 storey building on Stevens Creek rd. near Claussen rd is going to be a new headquarters for Husquavarna, at least that is what someone from Fridgidare (who own Husquavarna) told me.

Someone on this thread said that it might be ADP but that wasnt even announced until well after construction on this mystery building began.....Plus they said temporary offices would be somewhere in the Wheeler rd./Doctors Hospital area.

[socaguy]

Really? Wow that is odd. Its strange how a building gets about halfway finished....then it is announced to the community. Or maybe it was a spec building and ADP bought it. I was hoping for something with a little more street presence from that company...like something right on the Interstate, but oh well. Looks like a nice building regardless.

[augga706]

if they cut down some more trees near the t-mobile building, that will give augusta a street presence. You will be able to see the building coming from both ways on I-20 & will offer a good view. If im not mistaken by the time they get halfway or all the way done with the i-20 construction, u should be able to see the augusta exchange, bobby jones shopping centers, augusta mall, wash & riverwatch when driving. So aug will have alot of great views to feel like ur in a city. I still think driving 520 frm bush field to peach orchard or coming from n. aug looking up at downtown skyline are the best views of the metro.

[augga706]

Have anybody seen the dave & buster's commericals everyday on tv besides me? Is the augusta mall or river watch lifetstyle centers adding one when they open. I dont see the forum doin it, i hope aug mall because it is closer to me but either one will do. Augusta can support a dave & busters especially when ppl from the smaller counties will come since their isnt 1 close by anywhere. Now all we need is a niketown, water park, & a gucci, saks, or bloomies downtown not evans but downtown. Also a polo, nautica, & timbaland outlet will be nice. Augusta added new markets like starbucks, coach, red robin, & others in about a yr & half. I know by 08 we should atleast have a saks somewhere in augusta.

[augga706]

The belair rd exit is under construction looks like a new off ramp im not sure tho, unless its going to connect with the interchange or somethin. Does anybody know if their goin to widening belair rd I-20 since its already 3 lanes on each side.

[socaguy]

I think part of the I-520/I-20 interchange will be collector/distributor lanes but I thought I read they would only go as far as Wheeler Road.

Speaking of Wheeler rd. My Dad keeps saying they are going to build a Costco in that planned shopping center at the intersection with I-20. Has this been confirmed because I dont remember reading anything about it in the original article that the Augusta Chronicle ran.

[PJA]

I heard something about Costco too....however I'm not sure where I heard or read that so it may have just been a speculation.

[Pillsbury]

^ Yeah, I read that too. Over at the Wheeler Road/I-20 area.

[augga706]

is the new shopping center off wheeler rd supposed to be behind doctors hospital or closer to the wheeler exit or on the adventure crossing side going I-20 WEST

[augga706]

Isnt it strange how always we kept hearing of all the growth in columbia, & aiken counties compared to that of richmond. Im jus thinking why would they add to augusta mall lifestyle project, & build the forum & village in richmond county. If all the growth is in the surburbs. This tells me that augusta surburbs are growing but are not ready for their own massive mall or lifestyle center, and developers still see west augusta as the city hotspot. I think west aug will help richmond county start to pick back up with population with gains of thounsands instead of hundreds a yr. Richmond county census will be probably around 220 to 250,000 by 2010 especially with all the undevloped land & new residentials areas in south augusta

[augga706]

It looks like 520 will have 2 collector-distributor lanes & 20 will have 1

The walton way extension project wont be finished until jan 08, The 520/20 interchange still starts this june which means for about 6 or so months I-20 will have two massive projects right down the street from each other. I hope u can see the downtown skyline & the medical district from a flyover, the augusta mall view & augusta exchange should b nice.This should mean the forum starts building jan or feb 08

Also richmond county & amtrak officials on their flyover btw columbia,sc & augusta,ga

Augusta Commissioner Steve Shepard (right) joins Amtrak officials for an air tour of the tracks tying Augusta to Columbia. The guests said Wednesday's tour impressed them.