A portion of this Midlands riverwalk will close temporarily as SC zoo expands. What to know
A portion of the Saluda Riverwalk in Columbia, near the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, is set to close for a week in early January.
A portion of the nearly seven-mile out-and-back trail directly behind the zoo will close Jan. 6 amid construction to install sections of a new aerial gondola. Access to the trail will be cut off at the east end of the Millrace boardwalk, the city of Columbia’s parks and recreation department said in a press release.
The closed portion of the trail is set to reopen Jan. 13. The 1.5-mile section of the trail to the west of the zoo, which visitors access by turning to the right when they enter the park, will remain open throughout construction.
The temporary closure follows significant closures and damage to other riverwalks in the area after Hurricane Helene clobbered South Carolina and other parts of the southeastern United States at the end of September. A small part of the West Columbia riverwalk, near the city’s riverside amphitheater, is still closed after significant flooding.
The work at the zoo is part of an $80 million expansion that is also set to include a riverside restaurant and event space and a primate garden.
Development along the Saluda River has been talked about by local leaders for decades. But the work at the zoo along with other recent activity, such as the ongoing massive overhaul of the mess of interstate known as “Malfunction Junction” and the proposal of a new pickleball complex along the Saluda Riverwalk, indicate plans for the area’s development might finally be coming together.
