Riverbanks Zoo’s garden entry reopens

The main entrance to the garden at Riverbanks Zoo reopens to traffic Sunday after being closed for 13 months due to flood damage.

Repair of Botanical Parkway means motorists no longer must cut through neighborhoods off Sunset Boulevard (U.S. 378) in West Columbia to reach the garden on the lower Saluda River.

Rebuilding a hole in the middle of the mile-long road cost $760,000, Lexington County officials said.

The road was closed after a crossing over a creek caved in during flooding created by record rain.

Repairs make the crossing more durable, officials said.

Drivers can start using the road again at 3 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 11:00 AM.