After several years of being on hold, Williamston’s Phase 2 Street Enhancement Project is set to get underway. Workers have been marking utilities and placing signs along West Main St. preparing for work to begin next week, officials said.
The project will encompass the stretch of Hwy. 20 (West Main Street) in front of the Municipal Center and Mineral Spring Park from McDonalds to the bridge over Big Creek.
The project has been on the drawing board for town officials and SCDOT for a number of years, but was put on hold when state finances became tight and it was decided by the state that SCDOT engineers would oversee the state funded enhancement projects.
The project will include bulb outs, planters with landscaping, pedestrian ramps where sidewalks cross roads and drives and two new pedestrian crosswalks.
According to site plans, a crosswalk will be located at Minor Street and at the Williamston Fire Department. There will be bulb outs (planters) with curbing on each side of the road where the Mineral Spring Park sign is located and on the park side in front of The Journal.
There will be parking spaces between the bulb outs.
Bulb outs will also be located on each side of Minor Street and a longer one will be on the park side of the street at the intersection of Minor and West Main.
Earlier plans calling for a turning lane at Minor Street were eliminated on the new plan. The new longer bulb out will also eliminate what has been for years an unofficial lane for vehicles traveling east to pass vehicles turning left onto Minor Street.
A new crosswalk will also be located at Minor Street and cross to where the West Allen Williams memorial is located.
Crape Myrtles and other landscaping will also be located along the project area.
Williamston Mayor Mack Durham said town officials met with planners for a pre construction update on the project recently and he is excited to see it get underway. The project is expected to be completed in March.
