$30 million Church Street bridge rehab slated for 2025. What to know about SCDOT project

Savannah Moss, Greenville News
·2 min read

The U.S. 29/Church Street bridge in downtown Greenville will receive significant improvements at the beginning of next year. Improvements include replacing lighting, five-foot sidewalks, a new concrete overlay, and more for the bridge over Broad Street and McBee Avenue.

To address any concerns and answer questions, State Department of Transportation (SCDOT) officials will hold a drop-in meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. on April 16 at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church Hellenic Center, 406 N. Academy St.

Cars pass over the US 29/Church Street Bridge on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
Cars pass over the US 29/Church Street Bridge on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

The meeting allows residents to view construction phasing plans, alternative routes, detour routes, and traffic impacts associated with the project. Slated for the beginning of 2025, the project is anticipated to take 12 to 14 months to be completed.

According to the city of Greenville, traffic will be reduced to one lane in both directions over the bridge for most of the work. To complete the bridge deck, the bridge will be fully closed for six weeks.

Ushering drivers into the heart of downtown Greenville, the average daily traffic volume on Church Street from Augusta Street to North Spring Street had an average daily traffic volume of 26,300 vehicles, according to SCDOT. That number is expected to grow to more than 38,000 by 2039.

Since 2017, the bridge has been scheduled for rehabilitation but was placed on hold to secure funding. The city of Greenville and SCDOT explored options, including removing the bridge entirely. According to the Federal Highway Administration InfoBridge database, it does not meet current design and safety standards.

Now, after funding became available through SCDOT, the plan is to rehabilitate and reconfigure the bridge. The estimated cost is $30 million.

A chunk of concrete is seen missing from under US 29/ Church Street Bridge on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
A chunk of concrete is seen missing from under US 29/ Church Street Bridge on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

Changes include:

  • Replacing lighting

  • Raising bridge handrail

  • Repair and overlay bridge deck

  • Replace pedestrian stairs

  • Repair drainage systems

  • Install 5-foot sidewalk

  • Remove median barrier

  • Add a 9-foot sidewalk with planter boxes.

SCDOT says traffic flow will be “maintained across the bridge” during construction and advises travelers who frequent the bridge to expect delays or utilize an alternative route. For pedestrians, SCDOT notes that the sidewalk on the bridge is scheduled to be closed. Pedestrians can opt to use Falls Street and East Camperdown Way.

Savannah Moss covers Greenville County politics/growth and development. Reach her at Smoss@gannett.com or follow her on X @Savmoss.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: $30 million Church Street bridge rehab slated for 2025, meeting tonight