COLUMBIA, S.C. — Residents in Columbia took advantage of the nice weather and new construction at the Saluda Riverwalk this week.
Eric Young is a kayaker who's fallen in love with the Saluda River's rapids. He frequently visits the Saluda Riverwalk along Candi Lane to set off. However, over the years, getting to water wasn't easy.
"It wasn't the safest to go down, especially when it was wet and there was a lot of water moving around here," Young said.
Now, that dangerous trek looks entirely different. Last month, the City of Columbia finished construction on a new path focusing on accessibility.
Assistant City Manager of Operations Henry Simons said the project cost $150,000, with $100,000 coming from a state grant.
"We connected some steps that now go down up under that boardwalk. There are steps and a path that allows accessibility from the boardwalk but also accessibility from the other side coming from Candi Lane," Simons said. "There's going to be a number of visitors who will visit the Saluda Riverwalk and we felt it was very important to ensure that was done and available because traffic there is going to intensify."
Young said the new steps greatly impacted the river's accessibility.
"It looks great, I was able to actually see the whole building process over time," Young said.
Michael Mayo, the owner of Palmetto Outdoor, frequently takes families to the Saluda River and said now, with extended access, more people, especially young people, can hopefully join in on the fun.
"We tell them as long as they wear this life jacket, there's nothing on the river that can harm them, and then that family unit feels like everyone can join along. What those steps do down to the water's edge, is create that safe environment so you can get down to the put-in, get down to the water line," Mayo said.
Simons said the city plans to have a second phase of upgrades to the Saluda Riverwalk but did not give a timeline for when that would be.