Large stretch of Cayce Riverwalk closed until further notice. Here’s why, what’s being repaired
A section of the Cayce Riverwalk the length of six football fields is closed, and it’s unclear when residents will again be able to enjoy traversing the city’s unified trail along the banks of the Congaree.
City officials told The State that an approximately 1,800-foot wooden boardwalk that extends from the railroad trestle that crosses over the trail (near where the access from State Street/Cayce’s River Arts District merges with the main path) to the riverwalk entrance at H. Kelly Jones Park (located at 2616 Riverland Drive) incurred structural damage during flooding caused by recent heavy rains and must be repaired.
The timeline for how long that work will take is uncertain.
“Since the major flood of 2015, we have had more heavy rain events causing flooding along the Congaree River,” city officials said in an email. “As these events are happening more frequently, the compounding damage to the wooden support structure and eroding of the materials used as a base has steadily increased.”
The Cayce Riverwalk connects to the riverwalk maintained by neighboring West Columbia to offer a combined span of about eight miles of paved and lighted trail along the Congaree River, per the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, passing by (and under) landmarks such as the Gervais Street Bridge. The Cayce Riverwalk connects to other recreation amenities such as the Timmerman Trail, the 12,000 Year History Park, the Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve and the Thomas A. Newman Boat Landing.
Officials said that while the duration of the closure is unclear, they aren’t worried about the safety of the boardwalk when it gets put back into service.
“The boardwalk will be repaired to make it structurally sound again,” the city said. “The nature of the area it is in and the increase frequency of the rain events just add to the importance of consistent inspections.”
The city added that the last major repair to the boardwalk was in 2020.
“Our parks staff maintains and monitors the entire Riverwalk daily,” officials said. “They also inspect the boardwalk after each rain event to check for damage and if the event caused the boardwalk to be unsafe for our visitors. They do a fantastic job of keeping our citizens and riverwalk visitors safe.”
Cayce Mayor Elise Partin emphasized the importance of maintaining the riverwalk as a safe opportunity to enjoy one of the city’s most scenic aspects.
“The Cayce Riverwalk is one of the few mile-long stretches that walkers and cyclists can enjoy without cars,” she said in a statement. “It’s peaceful and beautiful. It will be hard for our citizens and visitors to be without this section of Riverwalk while it gets repaired but there are many more miles available to enjoy in the meantime. Whether visitors start at the Naples Avenue entrance and walk downstream or upstream, or start at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center and walk upstream, they are in for a treat to be immersed in nature on the banks of the Congaree River.”
Officials said they are working as quickly as they can to return the riverwalk to full working order.
“While we are not certain of the exact time to get the boardwalk repaired and safe for our patrons to use, our goal will be to have it done as efficiently and quickly as time will allow,” they said.
This story was originally published March 8, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
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