ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Orangeburg County is breaking ground on renovations for the Chestnut Street pedestrian bridge.
South Carolina State University's pedestrian bridge s known for its foot traffic, and changes are being made to make it feel safer for walkers.
“We look forward to this. We look forward to what this project will do for us here in this area as it expands our ability to engage more students in healthier lifestyles," said South Carolina State president Alex Conyers.
Along the corridor, the traffic signals will be updated at each intersection. There will be upgraded and newly built sidewalks, as well as corridor and roadway lighting.
There will also be a shared use path from Goff Avenue to the steps that will be added to the pedestrian bridge.
“The shared use path is actually separated from the roadway so it gives them that buffer to safely traverse the corridor from Magnolia Street all the way down to Belleview so that’s an added safety impact as well as the new stairs to the pedestrian bridge," said project manager Alex Bennet.
The project will cost $12 million.
Almost 80% of the funds are coming from federal funds and the rest is coming from Orangeburg County and the Lower Savannah Council of Government.
Bennet is an SC State alum as well as the project manager for this project.
“Graduating from here right at 10 years ago, I had no idea that I would be working on projects to better the campus, better the city, the county of Orangeburg, but it’s just a humbling experience and almost coming full circle," said Bennet.
The Department of Transportation is expected to start construction by this summer and are planning to finish by quarter four of 2023.