Mauldin council approves study for two traffic signals as resident warns stadium parking plan raises safety, liability concerns

Mauldin City Council on Jan. 20 unanimously approved a C‑Fund application to pay for engineering design and right‑of‑way acquisition for two potential traffic signals: Highway 276 at Murray Drive and Holland Road at Bridgeway Boulevard.

The council voted to move the projects forward to engineering and right‑of‑way work; installation would be a separate decision after the study, council members said.

The decision came after public comment from Megan Brock, who said she is a Mauldin resident and a parent of a child zoned for Mauldin High School. Brock urged the council not to rely on the high school as overflow parking for the proposed Bridges Stadium project and said the stadium’s parking plan “is atrocious.” “You want to use the high school 100 plus nights a week to park,” Brock said. “There is nowhere to park. The parking plan relies on annexing Mauldin High School.”

Brock told the council she feared increased drunkenness, crime and liability if thousands of stadium visitors use school property. “You cannot put a price on the safety and well‑being of students,” she said. She also questioned language in the stadium contract that, she said, allows the developer to request reduced tax liability.

Councilmembers and staff described the C‑Fund action as funding for engineering and right‑of‑way work only, not automatic installation. “It doesn't mean we're going to necessarily install them, but it will do all the work except for installing them,” a staff member said during discussion, explaining the study will produce the plans and a future decision point will follow.

Councilmember King and others said the Holland Road/Bridgeway intersection has long been planned for signalization and that recent development and the Bridgeway master plan make earlier installation appropriate. Councilmembers also said the proposed work would support the Bridgeway development whether or not the stadium proceeds.

Council discussion addressed how the Murray Drive/Hwy. 276 item relates to an anticipated road realignment. Staff said the engineering study would consider signalization both with and without the new roadway alignment; state Department of Transportation (DOT) feedback so far favors directing Norwood and Devon traffic to a new signalized intersection and limiting the old Norwood access to right‑in/right‑out.

Councilmember Allgood asked whether closing any existing roadway would happen automatically if the engineering work proceeds. City staff and councilmembers said any actual closure would require a separate council vote.

A council member asked for clarification about the source of C‑Fund dollars. Staff explained C‑Fund money is administered through the Greenville Legislative Delegation Transportation Committee (GLDTC) and comes from state gasoline tax dollars allocated to counties.

The motion to approve the C‑Fund application passed without objection.

What happens next: staff will complete engineering design and right‑of‑way work, producing a separate installation decision for council and coordinating with DOT. The public speaker’s concerns about the Bridges Stadium parking plan were entered on the public record and may surface again when council considers permits or specific agreements tied to the stadium project.