U.S. 276 Project Could Break Ground Next Month

A project that began in 2008 could start to see its first results in September.

That’s when work will begin on a streetscape project on U.S. 276, or  Main Street. The work will be done four areas along the corridor that connects Mauldin to the Millennium Campus.

A major hurdle was cleared last week when a bidder came in under the S.C. Department of Transportation’s estimate with a proposal of $628,451.65. It marked the third time since the project began that bids had been sent out, but this was the initial time the criteria were met. The winning bid came from L-J Incorporated of Columbia.

Citizens using the corridor will see improvements to the curbs and greenery and the area will become more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.

According to John Gardner, director of planning and economic development for Mauldin, the streetscaping project is the first step in a process that will upgrade the area along U.S. 276 that connects to Butler Road. That intersection has seen traffic spike in recent years and one of the city’s long-range goals is to make it easier for vehicles to access the many business that populate the area."It also puts some greenery back onto 276," Gardner said.

“It’s a good first step,” said Gardner, who has worked closely with SCDOT to shepherd the streetscaping project into being.

Over the years the project had its share of fits and starts, but Gardner was able to make the necessary tweaks to the proposal to make it happen. The project is to be the first of several that will make the downtown area more attractive to business owners. Funding still needs to be secured for future upgrades.

The four areas getting work done are:

1. Between St. Francis Hospital and CF Sauer’s.
2. North and south of Murray Drive.
3. Frontage Road on the main line to U.S. 276
4. The median near the interchange on U.S. 276.

The attached pdf documents show two of the areas that will be having work done.

They come with the note: “That some minor changes were required in these sections as a result of SCDOTs review of the proposed plans and to bring the project within budget.  Specifically, the dedicated left turn lanes that were proposed between Murray Drive and Knollwood Drive were not approved by SCDOT. A short section of new sidewalk north of Murray Drive was deleted due to the high bid prices received in the first two rounds of bids.”