Church Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project Underway
Lane reductions will be in place for nearly a year, Academy Street to serve as primary detour route
As you are well aware, the Church Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project is now underway. The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is repairing the aging bridge, which was originally constructed in 1959. Given that Church Street/US 29 carries the third-highest volume of traffic in the City of Greenville (~40,000 cars per day), traffic-related pressures and strains in the surrounding areas are to be expected. It is important to note that this is an SCDOT project, not a City of Greenville project.
This City of Greenville video includes information on the construction phases, the upgrades to be made to the bridge, traffic impacts, and detour routes.
Church Street/US 29 is a state-maintained roadway, including the bridge surface and infrastructure. The rehab project is a nearly $18 million upgrade primarily funded by the state of South Carolina. The state is providing $16 million in project funding. The City is contributing approximately $1.8 million for painting, pedestrian walkway enhancements and safety improvements, and replacing the stairs to McBee Avenue.
Upgrades will address the deteriorating bridge deck, update its storm drainage system, and improve the overall condition of the structure. The existing center median will be removed in order to widen the pedestrian walkway on the western side of the bridge. The pedestrian walkway will be widened to 9 feet with a railing between the path and the traffic lanes. Lighting upgrades will also be installed. The overall aesthetics of the bridge will be greatly improved as a result of this project.
The project officially began on April 15th, with traffic reduced to one lane in each direction, and a speed limit of 25 mph. Suggested detour routes and traffic pattern advisories have been publicized. SCDOT has assigned a timeframe of 11 months for the first three phases of the project. This means the lane reductions will be in place for nearly a full year.
The project contractor has an interim completion date of March 5, 2026 to complete the first three phases of the project. The fourth and final phase of the project will require that the bridge be completely closed to traffic. The project contractor will have 42 days (six weeks) to complete this final phase within a timeframe from May 1, 2026 to July 31, 2026. There are financial incentives for completing the work ahead of schedule and penalties for exceeding the schedule.
While this is not a City of Greenville project, in preparation for the significant disruption of normal traffic patterns, the City has been working collaboratively with Santec, a traffic engineering consulting firm, to generate simulation-based modeling that forecasts how vehicular traffic may change as the project progresses. In the weeks ahead, SCDOT and City of Greenville engineers will monitor the impact of the lane reductions on the surrounding area and, if needed, implement measures designed to assist with the flow of traffic.
The City of Greenville made roadway modifications to create the Academy Street Bypass, allowing Academy Street to become the primary detour route for Church Street.
For more info, including the phases of construction, renderings of the completed bridge, and additional videos, visit the project website at 29bridge.info or click below:
