City of Lancaster leverages $1 million funding to connect downtown to greenway
February 28, 2019
The City of Lancaster has leveraged $1 million in transportation alternative funding from the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to improve connectivity near the Lindsay Pettus Greenway.
Both the City of Lancaster and Lancaster County will receive $400,000 in Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grant funding from SCDOT. The City and the Lindsay Pettus Greenway each provided a local match of $100,000 to leverage the additional $800,000 in funding. The engineering and construction will be managed by SCDOT.
Specifically, the Lancaster-based TAP funding will be used to construct sidewalks and crosswalks along Woodland Drive from White Street to Roddey Drive, near the Lindsay Pettus Greenway. The grant will also fund sidewalk enhancements along Roddey Drive towards Colonial Drive, allowing for two-way bike traffic near Lancaster High and North Elementary schools. The grant also includes attractive street lighting, park benches, and enhanced landscaping.
“This funding will help us to create a beautiful, aesthetically attractive ‘gateway’ into the City surrounding Main Street and Woodland Drive,” says Sherri Gregory, president of the Lindsay Pettus Greenway. “As a result of this funding, the community has the potential to create a distinctive welcoming and inviting entrance to downtown Main Street, while also providing sidewalks to enable pedestrians and bicyclists access to get on and off the Greenway’s pathway.”
SCDOT reviewed applications throughout the state and sought projects that connected into strong regional non-motorized transportation networks (much like the Carolina Thread Trail) and were located in established traditional downtowns or historic districts. The TAP grant is not an ‘up-front’ grant program, and funds are available only on a reimbursement basis. SCDOT restricts projects to support streetscaping, pedestrian, and bicycle infrastructure.
For more information about the ongoing developments of the Lindsay Pettus Greenway, including the proposed route and trail amenities, visit www.LindsayPettusGreenway.org. For more information about the City of Lancaster’s ongoing initiative to revitalize Main Street and the surrounding downtown area, visit https://www.lancastercitysc.com/seelancaster/.
