The proposed reconfiguration of East Main Street includes a reduction in travel lanes to one in each direction, with a center turn lane. A bicycle lane will be added in each direction, while the parallel parking will remain similar to the current configuration. Photo courtesy of SCDOT
A principal, hazardous stretch of road in Spartanburg is due for a makeover soon to not only make for smoother traffic flow, but to prevent further tragic accidents.
Officials with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) are proposing a safety improvement along a one-half mile stretch of East Main Street between Converse and Pine streets.
The work would be done in partnership with the Spartanburg Penny Project:
• The penny project will rehabilitate and resurface the road to make the entire section of safer for pedestrians.
• SCDOT’s portion will include pavement striping and markings to delineate a new traffic pattern.
“The project will not change the actual footprint of the road, but instead will use pavement markings to reduce travel lanes to one in each direction with a center turn lane,” said Kelly Moore, SCDOT director of public engagement. “The parallel parking will remain very similar, and we will also be adding a bicycle lane in each direction.”
County transportation engineer John Wade added that the penny project portion will be bid in May.
“I expect construction to be completed within 18 months once a winning bid is selected,” Wade said.
While the improvement to East Main Street is indicative of a progressing city and county, Wade pointed out that its impetus comes on the heels of a road fatality this past winter when “a woman was crossing the street to go to church.”
Dolores Dalton, 75, was hit by a vehicle February 22 near the intersection of E. Main and Alabama streets. The area was already noted for a recent increase in vehicle-pedestrian collisions, with police and Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office officials advising motorists and walkers to be extra careful in this area.
“This is first and foremost a safety improvement,” Moore said. “Reducing the number of travel lanes often naturally reduces vehicle speeds and the potential for accidents.
She added that this kind of road improvement is often done in urban centers, such as Augusta Street Greenville, in which “serious crashes were reduced by more than 40%.”
“In addition to the safety benefits, the project is also expected to improve multi-modal transportation and provide additional accessibility for non-vehicle roadway users,” Moore said.
And it’s not the only one – thanks to county residents.
In a November 2023 referendum, voters approved a six-year capital penny sales tax, which will raise an estimated $478 million for 577 road, bridge, and infrastructure projects, with a priority of addressing deadly and unsafe intersections, improving pothole-filled corridors, and repaving high-use roadways across the county.
Completed projects include:
• Repaving of S.C. Highway 290, St. John St., and N. Daniel Morgan Ave.
• Improvements to W. Main Street, and the Zion Hill/Sloan's Grove Intersection.
• $250,000 invested so far in restriping, raising pavement markings, and adding rumble strips to make roads safer.
Others are on the way – but for now, both Moore and Wade see the improvement to East Main Street as most crucial.
“Minor changes to the design are being considered following our April 16 drop-in informational meeting,” Moore said. “We work very closely with our local partners to ensure we’re making efficient improvements that benefit the community members in Spartanburg.”
