The Town Creek Culvert drains storm water from approximately 250 acres in the uptown area.  The culvert begins near West 9th Street and Ficklen Street and continues to its outlet between Reade Circle and South Summit Street.  Historical records indicate the culvert was built prior to 1935 in an existing stream bed.

Over the last five years, the City of Greenville experienced pavement failures along Reade Circle.  Additionally, we have become increasingly aware of severe localized flooding at the intersection of Cotanche Street and Reade Circle.  The Public Works Department determined the cause of these issues to be the deteriorating condition of the Town Creek Culvert as well as too few storm water inlets in the uptown area.

In addition to the above concerns, the immediate need for upgrading the Town Creek Culvert is driven by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Tenth Street Connector Project.  At the City’s request, the NCDOT Tenth Street Connector Project will be redirecting storm water from two other outfalls to Town Creek Culvert.  This will provide relief to currently overwhelmed storm drainage systems west of the Uptown area, therefore preventing the need to complete additional storm drainage work in that area.  As a result, the Town Creek Culvert requires upgrading to handle the additional storm water runoff from the NCDOT Tenth Street Connector Project in order to protect the uptown area.

The Greenville City Council moved the much anticipated Town Creek Culvert project forward during its meeting on October 12, 2017, unanimously approving a contract for the $33 million project. Construction on the Town Creek Culvert began in March 2018 and is expected to last approximately 30 months.

The project, which includes many green infrastructure components, will be funded in part by the Storm water Utility Fund by storm water utility fee revenues through a combination of financing sources including a $16 million zero interest loan funded through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund as well as $3 million funded by Greenville Utilities Commission for work associated with their water and wastewater infrastructure. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan for this project is the largest loan in the history of the state.

The City of Greenville will work closely with local businesses and the public to minimize the impact of the project. This will include quarterly public meetings and electronic updates via email and social media. This website will also be updated to reflect the most current information.  Please check back regularly or, if you have a specific question or comment, e-mail your request to towncreekculvert@greenvillenc.gov. If you would like to receive regular email updates about the project, just send a request to bletchworth@greenvillenc.gov.

Town Creek Culvert Updates

October 12, 2020 - Project reaches substantial completion

July 22, 2020 - Evans Street to Open, West Ninth Street to Close 

July 8, 2020 - Ficklen Street to Close on July 13, Evans Street reopening coming soon

May 1, 2020 - Town Creek Culvert Update: May 2020

February 11, 2020 - Town Creek Culvert Update: Cotanche Street to reopen 2/13, Evans Street to close 2/15

January 10, 2020 - Town Creek Culvert Update: Cotanche Street scheduled to reopen in Feburary

October 4, 2019 - Town Creek Culvert Update: Cotanche Street to close to traffic 

August 30, 2019 - Town Creek Culvert Update: August 2019 

July 23, 2019 - Town Creek Culvert Update: Evans/Reade intersection to close briefly 

July 8, 2019 -  Town Creek Culvert Update: Cotanche Street converting to two-way traffic

June 26, 2019 - Town Creek Culvert Update: East Fifth Street to reopen in July

May 29, 2019 -  Town Creek Culvert Update: Work continues at East Fifth Street

May 3, 2019 - Town Creek Culvert Update: May 2019

April 3, 2019 - Town Creek Culvert Update: Portion of Reade Circle closes

March 26, 2019 - Town Creek Culvert Update: March 2019

February 22, 2019 - Town Creek Culvert Update: East Fourth Street reopens; East Fifth Street to close.

February 14, 2019 - The City will be reopening East Fourth Street between Reade Street and Holly Street by Friday, February 22. The City's next move is to close East Fifth Street just east of Reade Street on Monday, February 25. Below is a look at the posted detours associated with this closure. Please note that Fifth Street between Elm Street and the closure will be open to local traffic only.

January 25, 2019 - Town Creek Culvert Update: Fourth Street work continues, Fifth Street closure approaching

January 9, 2019 - The City of Greenville has scheduled a meeting to update the progress of the Town Creek Culvert project for Thursday, January 31, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Sheppard Memorial Library, 530 Evans Street. During the meeting, the City will provide an overview of the project as well as the work schedule. Details will be provided about the upcoming work from Fifth Street along Reade Circle to Evans Street. The City will explain the required detours and relocated loading zones that will be a part of the future phases of the project.December 7, 2018 - Town Creek Culvert Update: Portion of South Washington Street Closing

November 1, 2018 - Town Creek Culvert Update: Third Street Opening, Fourth Street Closing

July 27, 2018 - Town Creek Culvert Update

May 16, 2018 - Town Creek Culvert Update

April 4, 2018 - Town Common parking lot to close April 9

March 15, 2018 - City breaks ground on Town Creek Culvert project.

March 2, 2018 - Plans Announced for the Town Creek Culvert groundbreaking at 3:00 PM on March 15, 2018, at the Town Common.

March 1, 2018 - City holds first of two public information meetings. Click here for link to story on Reflector.com. To view the presentation from that meeting, click here. Video of the first public meeting can be viewed below.

February 13, 2018 - City Plans Pair of Town Creek Culvert Public Information Meetings

October 12, 2017 - Town Creek Culvert Project Moves Forward with Council Approval