$16M redo of Port Royal’s Paris Ave. honors the town’s wild critters. Here’s how
The first phase of the eagerly awaited $16 million renovation of Port Royal’s Paris Avenue has officially begun.
The extensive makeover -- the biggest capital project in the town’s history -- will breathe new life into the old road with new infrastructure, amenities and art, including one piece that celebrates the town’s wild critters that live a stone’s throw from the important road.
Construction over the next 180 days will bring inconvenience for drivers and business owners. But long-term, the town says, work is expected to transform an especially wide corridor, which was originally built to handle truck traffic, into a narrower main street that is better-suited to today’s business and recreational uses.
Among the improvements: Wider sidewalks, new landscaping and streetlights and other upgrades designed to enhance functionality and charm of a community that already dubs itself as “cool, coastal and far from ordinary.”
Town Manager Van Willis revealed Monday that one of the artistic flairs of the first phase will be the installation of a 15-by-20-foot brick mosaic of animals and birds that live in the town’s famous Cypress Wetlands, whose main entrance is on Paris Avenue.
The mosaic, which includes alligators, otters, snakes, turtles and wading birds, will be embedded in a raised brick crosswalk that is planned in front of the wetlands.
What the Paris Ave project entails
A Joco Construction backhoe began ripping up the road Monday morning as cars meandered through temporary lanes created by orange traffic cones.
The $1.6 million initial phase of work, which stretches from Parker’s to the Helena House assisted living facility, begins at the town’s gateway near the Cypress Wetlands. It’s expected to take about 6 months to finish and part of a $16 million remake of the entire length of Paris Avenue from Ribaut Road to 7th Street.
The town says it’s never undertaken a bigger construction project. It was first unveiled in Aug. 2023 followed by more detailed plans a year later.
It’s drawn high public interest not only because of its scope but location, with Paris Avenue leading to the waterfront and serving as the main street through the old village portion of the town of 16,000, where streets are named after world capitals.
“It’s mammoth,” Willis says of the project’s importance to the town’s infrastructure and image.
Future phases will be constructed as funding becomes available.
What the road work means for drivers, businesses
The first-phase work underway now includes improving stormwater drainage on the road, which tilts significantly in one direction, Willis said. “We’re trying to address stormwater issues created by this issue,” Willis said.
Willis noted that Paris Avenue was originally constructed with an especially wide right-of-way in anticipation of trucks leaving the Port of Port Royal property on Battery Creek, which was once an operating port run by the State Ports Authority.
“It’s a very wide road for a downtown corridor,” he said.
In the new design, some of that generous right-of-way will be used for new plantings, streetlights, benches and wider sidewalks, creating more space for pedestrians, bicyclists and restaurants that can use the extra room for outdoor seating space.
Drivers will be able to use the main street throughout the six months or so of construction, Willis said. At some point, Willis said, temporary signals will be set up to control traffic through the construction area.
Businesses will remain open as well, Willis said. In a Facebook post that responded to concerns raised about the impact of construction on businesses such as the popular Corner Perk coffee shop, the town said meetings were held with the businesses in advance.
“Instead of focusing on the negative, maybe all of us should make an effort to support them and support the longer view, which includes enhanced parking, stormwater management, lighting, plantings, and other aesthetics,” it said.
“It’s a long-term investment that’s going to require patience,” Willis told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet. “But the outcome certainly will be worth it.”
Could an old sculpture return?
Town officials have said previously that it’s even possible the well-known 12-foot-tall “Nightmare Witch” sculpture and other art will be integrated into the new look for the main street. Referred to by various names — “Mermaid,” “Zephyr” and “Heisman Medusa” (for her pose similar to college football’s famous trophy) — the sculpture once graced the intersection of Ribaut Road and the Paris Avenue, the gateway to downtown.
But in 2021, it was removed and replaced with an array of flags representing the entities that have ruled the town throughout history. At the time, town officials hinted the witch sculpture might make a return. The lady is made of recycled steel, her hair of old truck tires. “Mother of Rubber Trees” is her real name.
The project is getting underway as the town embarks on a major redevelopment of its once working waterfront with a new marina, businesses, promenade and housing.
This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 12:47 PM.
