Boundary Street, Spanish Moss Trail plans moving ahead after delays
Two stalled projects in Beaufort -- the Boundary Street redevelopment and the Beaufort County's leg of the Spanish Moss Trail -- are moving ahead after years of delays, officials said this week.
Originally planned to be completed this summer, the Boundary Street project should be going out to bid within two weeks, according to county engineering director Rob McFee.
"This is a wonderful project for the city, and it's going to be a difficult project, but I believe it will be worth it," McFee said.
The $26.8 million project is intended to narrow lanes, landscape medians, and add sidewalks and bike paths along Boundary Street. City Council approved plans in 2006 that are being paid for with a $12.6 million federal grant and $13.7 million in local funds.
The project went to bid last summer, but the bids expired before problems with undergrounding utilities and a duct bank were resolved and approved by the Federal Highway Administration and the Department of Transportation.
Some additional refinements and clarifications held up final approval until this week. Coleman said a few utility right-of-way issues are still being worked on, but those will not hold up the process.
Bids will be out for 30 days, McFee said, then a review and approval process will follow, and awards could be made mid- to late summer.
City senior projects manager David Coleman is setting up a Boundary Street information center on the first floor of City Hall, 1911 Boundary St., in the room previously occupied by the Beaufort History Museum. Once the bid is awarded and construction gets underway, he intends to hold regular open-house hours each week for people to ask questions and learn more.
SPANISH MOSS TRAIL
Work is soon to begin on the Spanish Moss Trail, on a section that will bridge the gap between completed parts of the pathway.
Four of the 10 planned sections are done, between Ribaut and Depot roads in Port Royal and Beaufort, and between Broad River Boulevard and Laurel Bay Road.
The work has largely been funded through grants from the James M. Cox Foundation, along with money raised by the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail, and coordinated by the Atlanta-based PATH Foundation.
The missing segment, between Depot Road and Broad River Boulevard, is being done by Beaufort County, and plans have been underway for several years.
In February, County Council approved a $1.55 million contract with Lewallen Construction Co. of Marietta, Ga., for the work. However, the project is partially funded through a $1 million federal grant that requires at least 15 percent of subcontractors be "disadvantaged" businesses, such as those owned by women or minorities.
McFee said the problem was that none of the bids, including the one approved by the county, met that threshold. However, after review, state transportation officials and the Federal Highway Administration determined Lewallen made a good-faith effort to meet that percentage and gave it the green light, McFee said.
Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail executive director Dean Moss said he's excited for the construction to begin. During a Beaufort City Council work session Tuesday night, he alluded to additional pending announcements for the trail, including another possible PATH Foundation grant for the Friends to match through fundraising.
Follow reporter Erin Moody at twitter.com/IPBG_Erin and facebook.com/IPBG.Erin.
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- Boundary St. property eyed for creating Beaufort gateway; Wendy's renovation plans proceed, Feb. 5, 2015
- Start date of Boundary Street project still uncertain, June 27, 2014
- Spanish Moss Trail addition hits snag, March 18, 2015
This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Boundary Street, Spanish Moss Trail plans moving ahead after delays."