GREENVILLE, N.C. - After two and a half years of construction, the Town Creek Culvert project has reached substantial completion.
The $33-million project, which began in March 2018, was deemed substantially complete following a walkthrough last Friday with contractors and City staff. While the contractor will be wrapping up small details over the next couple of weeks, all parts of the project that would impact traffic or parking lot access in and near the downtown area are completed.
The final road closures associated with the project were completed last week with the paving and reopening of Ficklen Street and West 9th Street, along with the paving of the parking lot at Town Common. Those actions were preceded by the reopening of West 8th Street in mid-September.
The only task that remains outstanding is the installation of a permanent traffic signal at the intersection of Evans Street and Reade Circle. That is scheduled to take place in Spring 2021 with minimal impact to vehicular traffic.
The Town Creek Culvert project was an undertaking to address drainage issues for about 300 acres in downtown and adjacent areas, beginning near Ninth Street and Washington Street and continuing to the Tar River. Those areas had been plagued by localized flooding during rainstorms due to the undersized, failing culvert system that was in place.
The City began the study and design phase of the project in Fall 2013, and it was approved by City Council in October 2017.
The City would like to extend its gratitude to the merchants of the downtown area, as well as members of the community overall, for their patience and understanding during this long process. Information about a ribbon-cutting event to commemorate the completion of the project is forthcoming.
