Innovista Greene Street project breaks ground this week
The first phase of the new Innovista Greene Street corridor will break ground at 10 a.m. Thursday at the University of South Carolina soccer practice field at Greene and Gadsden streets.
The revamped Greene Street is designed to be the heart of a new USC campus, with a landmark plaza across from the entrance to the Colonial Life Arena.
The project, nearly a decade in the planning, is the first major construction to break ground using Richland County’s penny-on-the-dollar sales tax for transportation improvements.
The first phase of the project, expected to cost $10 million, includes converting Greene Street from a four-lane and two-lane road to a three-lane road with sidewalks and dedicated bike lines from Assembly Street to Gadsden Street. The first phase is expected to be completed by fall 2016.
The next phase will involve building a bridge over railroad tracks where Greene Street dead ends now. The bridge would take bicyclists, pedestrians and cars safely over the tracks.
Reach Ellis at (803) 771-8307.
If you go
What: Groundbreaking for the first phase of the Innovista Greene Street corridor project
When: 10 a.m. Thursday
Where: USC soccer practice field at Greene and Gadsden streets
Who will be there: USC President Harris Pastides, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, Richland County Council Chairman Torrey Rush, County Councilman Seth Rose, S.C. Department of Transportation Commissioner John Hardee
This story was originally published June 7, 2015 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Innovista Greene Street project breaks ground this week."