Detours, major projects planned for this summer

Drivers will need to use detours to get around downtown roadwork this summer in Greenwood, but city officials say the temporary inconvenience will be worthwhile once four major road projects are complete.

The work includes rebuilding two roads, building a new connector street and adding a roundabout at a busy intersection meant to help with daily backups. And detours will change throughout the course of the roadwork, meaning drivers will need to pay attention to changes in their daily routes.

While doing all of the projects at once will be a hassle, residents have been understanding that the work needs to be done and the area will be much easier to drive through when complete, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said.

Work is set to begin as soon as Monday on the projects, which will cost a total of about $12.2 million. All of the projects are within 1.5 miles of each other in and around downtown, which officials have said is a priority to improve the flow of traffic and encourage business investment in the area.

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On the city’s list of work to be done: reconstructing Madison Avenue between Noble and Pearl streets; building a new road south of the Greenwood Public Library that will connect Market Plaza and Surina Way; rebuilding Emerson Avenue from Main Street to County Line Road and redesigning the area where U.S. 31, Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue meet, with a new roundabout at the intersection of Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue, removing several left turn lanes and a jug handle turn at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Smith valley Road.

The biggest of the projects — the work on the roundabout at Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue — is expected to close that intersection for three months, but when that project is done, an area that has long been a nightmare for drivers will be much easier to navigate for the 30,000 vehicles that pass through there daily.

Construction on the roundabout and a jug handle turn at the southeast corner of U.S. 31 and Smith Valley Road — the first phase of the project — will start in June and go through August, requiring the closure of the intersection of Madison Avenue and Smith Valley Road.

The second phase of work, which will last about 30 days, will take place on Madison Avenue, south of the roundabout, where crews will be widening the road and adding lanes near U.S. 31; at the intersection of Smith Valley Road and Meridian Street, where a concrete median will be added at the intersection to limit left turns; and on Smith Valley Road on the west side of U.S. 31, where an additional westbound lane will be added.

Crews started work on the first of the projects — a connector road between Surina Way and Market Plaza — this week, but the intersection of Meridian Street and Surina Way will close Monday for about two months. Workers will be lowering Meridian Street at Surina Way to provide a better view for drivers turning from Surina Way. A new parking lot is also being built at the southeast corner of Meridian Street and Surina Way, a joint project between the city and Our Lady of the Greenwood Catholic Church, which is set to begin while work on the intersection is underway.

The next two projects, the reconstruction of Madison Avenue between Pearl and Noble Streets, as well as the rebuild of Emerson Avenue between Main Street and County Line Road, won’t require detours. Specific start dates haven’t been determined for either project yet, but work on Madison Avenue is set to begin later this spring, and work on Emerson Avenue is expected to begin this summer, city engineer Daniel Johnston said.

While work on both roads will require lane closures, neither street will be completely shut off to traffic, Johnston said.

Drivers can expect to be dealing with roadwork until the middle of this fall, when the the Madison Avenue reconstruction project is slated to wrap up.

Planning for all of the roadwork began last year, and included meetings with city and local groups, such as Greenwood schools, Johnston said.

At the Greenwood Public Library, located in the middle of where construction is planned, access will be limited, but people can still get to the library by driving south on Meridian Street from Main Street, according to a news release from the library.

Some library events, such as the annual Easter egg hunt, will be relocated to other sites, the release said.

The city has hosted meetings and posted signs to make sure residents are aware of the projects, Myers said. The city will be continuing to inform residents about the projects and detours with signs along downtown roads as well as with updates on the city website and social media, he said.

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Here is a look at the upcoming projects in Greenwood:

Madison Avenue

Cost: $2 million

Project details: A reconstruction of Madison Avenue from Pearl to Noble Street. The project will involve removing the center turn lane, adding a 12-foot-wide trail with a grass buffer, two marked pedestrian crossings, one of which will have a stop signal.

Emerson Avenue

Cost: $3.5 million

Project details: A rebuild of Emerson Avenue between Main Street and County Line Road. The center turn lane will be replaced with grass and concrete medians, new signals at three intersections, decorative street lighting and a 10-foot trail on the west side of the road.

Smith Valley, U.S. 31, Madison Avenue

Cost: $3 million

Project details: A new roundabout at the intersection of Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue, removing several left turn lanes and adding a jug handle turn at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Smith valley Road.

Surina Way and Market Plaza connector road, new parking lot

Cost: $3.7 million

Project details: A new road will be built south of the Greenwood Public Library between Surina Way and Market Plaza. The intersection of Meridian Street and Surina Way will be lowered to increase visibility for drivers. A 178-space parking lot with an underground stormwater retention system will be built at the southeast corner of Meridian Street and Surina Way.

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