Construction underway at Old Town Bluffton park and road. Here’s where you can park
Construction of a new Bluffton park along the May River has accelerated recently, disrupting parking in a popular part of Old Town.
As crews tear up the ground across from the Church of the Cross to build Wright Family Park, the town has closed off the end of Calhoun Street.
The park, which will provide residents public access to the river, is expected to open in late spring, town spokesperson Debbie Szpanka said.
“A tentative date for the ribbon cutting is planned for late May, during which many members of the Wright family plan to travel to Bluffton,” she said.
The next phase of construction will focus on landscaping and infrastructure, including sidewalk improvements, 28 new parking spots, asphalt paving and lighting.
Signs at the end of Calhoun Street tell visitors that the Church of the Cross and the Calhoun Street Public Dock are open and accessible during construction.
While the area is under construction, parking will be available on Water Street behind the church, Szpanka said.
“Parking is also available on Calhoun Street up to the construction zone, which begins at Water Street,” she said.
Last fall, crews completed a wooden boardwalk along the bluff that overlooks the May River, but the walkway is not accessible due to construction, Szpanka said.
Bluffton and Beaufort County, through its Rural and Critical Lands Program, purchased the Wright Family Park property in 2017 for $1.5 million and started the first phase of construction last summer.
The property also includes the Squire Pope Carriage House, one of 10 antebellum buildings in Old Town Bluffton that survived the 1863 “burning of Bluffton” by Union troops during the Civil War.
In November, the town approved plans to rehabilitate the carriage house. The company hired to repair the building anticipates it will cost about $1 million.
