Anyone who has lived in Greenville for any amount of time knows how terrifying the words “Woodruff Road” + “Christmas shopping” can be together.

All kidding aside, you may have noticed that lately Woodruff Rd. and all its traffic are getting a lot of attention from local leaders and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). SCDOT has recently identified their preferred proposed alternative – Alternative 6C – to alleviate congestion + improve mobility on Woodruff Rd.

There were 17 preliminary alternatives – five of which received further development and analysis. According to SCDOT, this alternative ranks at the top of those five for improving traffic, towards the bottom of the pack in regards to environmental impact, and right in the middle as far as cost goes. Click here for the environmental assessment for the project. Click here and select the tab labeled “Proposed Alternatives” to see maps of each.

Proposed alternatives to alleviate congestion on Woodruff Rd. | Graphic from SCDOT

Alternative 6C

So, what exactly does Alternative 6C entail? Well, we’re glad you asked. Before we get started, let's take a look at the proposed route. (Having a hard time seeing this map? Click here, here and scroll to page 15, or here and select the tab labeled “Proposed Alternatives” for map options you can zoom in on.)

Here’s the lowdown on Alternative 6C:

○ Cost: $121 million. (A one-time grant of roughly $49 million from the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank was recently approved on July 7.)

○ Five-lane limited access alternative route to Woodruff Rd.

○ Approximately three miles

○ Starts on the new Parallel Parkway at Verdae Blvd. + ends at Smith Hines Rd. (essentially across from the Chick-fil-A and Walmart)

○ ~Nine roundabouts

○ Roadway would include a sidewalk on one side + a multi-use path on the other

○ A new bridge over I-385 + I-85

○ Requires two residential relocations + 40 commercial relocations/displacements

○ Impacts 1,050 linear feet of streams + 0.15 acre of wetlands

○ Click here (page 17) for the timeline. (Spoiler Alert: Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024 and end in 2026.)

○ See more of what’s included in the plan here (page 16)

○ See more FAQs here

Provide Your Feedback

Have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this one? Because of COVID-19, there is an ongoing virtual public hearing until Fri., Aug. 7 at 5 p.m. Review the materials available and comment via phone, email, comment card, or the online form. In addition, you can also take part in the project survey.

Still have questions or concerns? SCDOT is hosting weekly telephone hotline meetings, so you can speak directly to a member of the project development team. Note that questions asked via hotline will not be entered in the public record. Click here for the dates + times.

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