Committee hears construction updates; Gills Creek full build about a year out, Saluda River work held pending railroad/bridge timing

Committee staff provided a broad construction update covering active road, sidewalk and greenway projects and answered committee questions about timelines and maintenance responsibilities.

Mr. Belding said Atlas Road utility relocation is winding down and a pre-construction meeting was held for the road widening phase (phase 1B). He reported Broad River Road clearing and grading is underway with a targeted utility relocation window tied to Mid-Carolina Electric's delivery of steel poles in late July. On Hunt Club Road, crews halted work temporarily to resolve an unexpected City of Columbia water main conflict; staff said the contractor will add storm sewer and drainage inlets before continuing sidewalk construction.

Percival sidewalk work is in final closeout with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for July 1, Belding said, and staff is planning a groundbreaking for the Trenholm–Newcastle sidewalk project. Resurfacing work is progressing — package U is complete and package V was just awarded — and bids have come in better than estimates, leaving roughly $600,000–$800,000 available for additional smaller packages.

On the Saluda River Greenway, Belding said most sections are complete but a portion that ties into a bridge requires coordination with a railroad; the contractor provided a price to delay installation of the remaining section for about one year so the bridge work can be completed. "They've asked that we stop putting part of our project in and the contractor provided a price for that to wait 1 year to put in that last section," he said.

When asked who is responsible for a right-of-way after it is deeded to the state, Director Maloney said SCDOT generally assumes maintenance under its standards; the county will notify SCDOT of construction-caused issues as appropriate but routine maintenance lies with the state once the right-of-way is accepted. On Gills Creek Greenway timing, Maloney said right-of-way acquisition and watershed grant stipulations require design adjustments and interagency coordination; his estimate was that active construction is "about a year out." About Spears Creek Church Road, Maloney said land acquisition and some condemnation steps are in progress, consultants are finalizing sidewalk plans, and staff hopes to bid the project in winter; he noted that the city currently requires new commercial development on Earth Road to install six-foot sidewalks, but full corridor connectivity between Clemson Road, Earth Road and Spears Creek Church Road is still being verified.

The committee received the informational update with no formal action taken and then adjourned.