Categories
Small Business Funding

Spartanburg Co. proposed plan for major roads [Video]

Spartanburg County Council is expected to vote on a proposed plan targeting several “gateway” roads that lead into the city of Spartanburg’s downtown.The proposed Gateway Corridors Plan targets four major roadways within the county Asheville Highway, Interstate 585, Boiling Springs Road and Chesnee Highway starting at Interstate 85 until they reach the Spartanburg city limits.”The County Council recognizes that we need to make improvements for these roads and really accelerate some infrastructure improvements, so we’re really excited to get started with this project,” said Todd Okolichany, the county’s planning and development director.Concepts drawn by the county show crews would look to conduct a road diet on Asheville Highway, adding bicycle and pedestrian facilities and landscaping to all roads. “That road is a major gateway into downtown, and it really gives people the first impression of what kind of downtown should look and feel like,” Okolichany said.Okolichany said the priority for the county is Asheville Highway. He said the county has received a $16 million federal grant to help improve the road, along with $4 million of the county’s own money.”It really is a dangerous road, and as urban planners, we sometimes call these ‘stroads,’ where it wants to act like a local road, but also almost acts like a highway at the same time,” Okolichany said. “When I drive down Asheville Highway, you could just see and feel kind of the energy and the opportunity that is there to rethink and reimagine what that corridor looks like.”Officials said while Asheville Highway is the priority out of the four roads, they continue to try to find funding for the remaining projects.”The plan takes into consideration all the different character areas and the different looks and feel of each corridor and really customizes the recommendations,” Okolichany added. Officials said if the plan is approved, county staff will jumpstart design work on Asheville Highway but will also be looking at potentially adjusting regulations to guide future development.However, construction likely remains a few years away, according to Okolichany.