The Sharing the Road project team has developed draft program, policy, and project recommendations aimed at making our roadways safer, and we want to share them with you at a second round of public open houses on Tuesday, May 12, 2026!

These draft recommendations are built upon the input we received in October and November at meetings and via our online survey and interactive map, coupled with best practices and crash data-driven findings. In addition to sharing more systemic recommendations to address roadway safety, we will be sharing a High Injury Network map, as well as some conceptual ideas for potential safety-related improvements along roadway segments and intersections located within the High Injury Network.

Ways to Engage:

• Attend a community meeting!  Meetings will be a drop-in format, and provide an opportunity to engage directly with the project team and review the systemic and location-specific draft recommendations.
  • Tuesday, May 12, 2026 from 11 a.m.– 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Virginia Bedford Community Center, Earlewood Park, 1113 Recreation Drive, Columbia, SC 29203
• Learn more via the project website: https://planninganddevelopment.columbiasc.gov/safe-streets/
• Sign up to receive email updates regarding multimodal transportation planning and events: https://forms.columbiasc.gov/243375701335858
• Stay tuned for a project survey – to be released subsequent to the May 12, 2026 meetings through June 9, 2026!

About the Selected Roadway Segments and Intersections

With the development of our High Injury Network map, we were grateful to note that a number of our partners are already working to address safety concerns for all users along a number of these key corridors. As the selection of locations for conceptual design is a part of the planning process, the project team worked to select locations which were not being otherwise addressed but posed a more pressing safety concern and complexity of design. These projects are conceptual and do not have funding allocated at this time. Your local knowledge can help inform this process, and the resulting project recommendations can help position the City and our partner agencies to make future funding requests. Locations we’ll be discussing are:

Intersections

• Beltline Blvd at Two Notch Rd
• Covenant Rd at N. Beltline Blvd and Pine Belt Rd
• Elmwood Ave at Main St
• Laurel St at Huger St
• River Dr at Sunset Dr

Segments

• Academy/W. Beltline (I-277 – Two Notch)
• Elmwood Ave (I-126 – Bull)
• Farrow Rd (Beltline Blvd to Chappelle)
• Huger St / Whaley St (I-126 – Wayne)
• Two Notch Rd (Taylor/Forest – Cushman/Pine Belt)

About the Planning Effort:

Sharing the Road will analyze the safety issues faced by all road users, from our more vulnerable users, like pedestrians and cyclists, to transit riders and personal and commercial vehicle operators. This planning process is partially funded by and aligns with the USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All program. The process and resulting plan will:

• Result in an official public commitment that establishes a target date to significantly reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries.

• Identify the City’s High Injury Network through the analysis of crash data and public input.
• Build on prior planning efforts like Walk Bike Columbia and Columbia Compass while focusing specifically on how to improve roadway safety for all users.
• Identify systemic and specific safety needs and priority projects for the City and partner agencies to collaborate on moving forward.
• Align with the USDOT Safe Streets and Roads For All program, which is partially funding this effort. The resulting plan document will also position the City for future potential grant funding.

WHO: City of Columbia Public Works Department, Columbia Police Department, Columbia-Richland Fire Department, City of Columbia Parks & Recreation, Columbia Water, City of Columbia Fleet Services, City of Columbia Parking Department, City of Columbia Street Division, City of Columbia Solid Waste Division, Columbia Animal Services, City of Columbia Community Development, and Public Relations, Media, & Marketing.

WHAT: The City of Columbia’s Public Works Department, in collaboration with Soda City and several other City departments, will participate in the fourth annual Touch-A-Truck event at the Soda City Market. This interactive experience invites residents to explore and learn about some of the City’s largest trucks and heavy equipment. Featured vehicles and demonstrations will include a backhoe, mini-excavator, bomb-disposal robot, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to get up close and hands-on with the equipment that helps keep Columbia running.

City staff will be on-site to teach everyone how our trucks work and the work they do to keep the City of Columbia thriving. This is a FREE event and citizens are encouraged to attend and bring their children!

WHEN: Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

WHERE: 1700 Block of Main Street, Soda City Market

Phase 1 of Capital Improvement Plan to Enhance City-Owned Parking Decks

(Columbia, SC) – The City of Columbia will begin structural repairs at the Sumter Street Parking Deck, located at 1400 Sumter Street, on Monday, June 1, 2026. This project is part of Phase 1 of the City’s multi-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a strategic investment in revitalizing and maintaining public parking infrastructure across Columbia.

What Work Will Be Done?                                                                

The work at the Sumter Street deck and other facilities during Phase 1 will include:

• Repairing concrete spalls, delamination, and exposed reinforcement
• Addressing cracks on concrete surfaces
• Replacing deteriorated joint sealant
• Installing new expansion joints
• Traffic coating and restriping of stalls

These updates are designed to improve safety, prolong the life of the parking decks, and help maintain an efficient and accessible parking experience for the public.

In addition to the structural repairs underway as part of Phase 1 of the Capital Improvement Plan, the City of Columbia is also investing in enhanced lighting, updated security cameras, deep cleaning, and fresh painting across City-owned parking decks.

Project Phasing and Impact

To minimize disruptions for downtown employees, residents, and visitors, parking deck renovations will be completed one at a time and is estimated to take approximately four months.

Signage will be placed at each parking deck before and during the construction process to inform parkers of the work taking place and guide them to nearby alternative parking options.

Starting on June 1, 2026 and continuing for approximately four months, public and visitor parking at the Sumter Street Parking Deck will be unavailable due to planned improvements. During this time, monthly parking arrangements will also be modified.

Parking Services has already reached out directly to reserved parkers as related to the coordination of parking arrangements and minimize disruption. The City appreciates the community’s patience as these upgrades are made to improve the overall parking experience in downtown Columbia.

Parkers are encouraged to visit https://parking.columbiasc.gov/downtown-parking-map/ to learn more about where City of Columbia parking decks are located.

Future parking decks slated for repair in Phase 1 include:

• Taylor Street Deck
• Arsenal Hill Deck
• Lady Street Deck

In all of these parking decks, phased work will allow for partial access throughout the repair period.

What is Concrete Corrosion?

Concrete corrosion is a gradual but serious issue that affects the structural integrity of many parking decks. When water infiltrates a porous concrete surface, it penetrates to the embedded reinforcing steel. Over time, this causes the steel to corrode and expand, breaking the concrete on the surface, and exposing the steel underneath. Left unrepaired, this could compromise the integrity of the structure over time. Corrosion-related repairs are among the most common and costly maintenance issues for aging parking decks.

Why This Work Matters

The City of Columbia’s Parking Revitalization Plan is a proactive effort to extend the life of vital downtown infrastructure and ensure a safe, modern parking experience. By addressing issues before they become critical, the City is investing in public safety, saving long-term costs, and supporting the ongoing vibrancy of downtown Columbia.

The ongoing repairs and enhancements to the City’s parking decks are part of a long-term, strategic reinvestment plan that began with the City of Columbia’s parking rate increase approved by City Council on December 4, 2024 and implemented on March 1, 2025. This initiative was designed to ensure that revenue generated through the updated rate structure could be directly reinvested into maintaining, modernizing, and extending the life of our parking facilities. By aligning these improvements with the broader strategic vision for a safer, more reliable and more accessible parking system, the City continues to deliver on its commitment to strengthening infrastructure and enhancing the overall experience for residents, businesses and visitors.

For More Information

To stay informed on project updates, deck reopening dates, and parking alternatives, please visit: https://parking.columbiasc.gov/

Help Us Celebrate National Bike Month in Columbia, SC! With spring in the air, the City of Columbia and the League of American Bicyclists, the national organization of bicyclists, announce that May is National Bike Month, May 11-17 is Bike to Work Week and Friday, May 15 is Bike to Work Day.

The City urges everyone to bike to work or try cycling for fun, fitness, or transportation. Visit https://www.columbiacompass.org/celebratemay.html to learn how you can celebrate throughout the Midlands this May.

Considering biking to work or for fun?  Here are some tips:

• Have your bike checked over by your local bike shop
• Plan your route, incorporating bike lanes, greenways, and less-busy streets when possible
• Always wear a helmet to protect your head in the event of a crash
• Ride in a safe location; in South Carolina, bicyclists may ride on sidewalks, or in the street.  If a dedicated bike lane is provided, bicyclists must use the bike lane (if they are riding in the roadway).  Please note, the City of Columbia does not allow bicyclists on the sidewalks bounded by Assembly, Gervais, Sumter, and Elmwood by local ordinance.
• Obey all stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings
• Look before you change lanes or signal a turn; indicate your intention, then act
• Be visible and predictable at all times; wear bright clothing and signal turns

City Council adopted Walk Bike Columbia, a bicycle and pedestrian master plan for the City, in 2015.

To learn more about how the City of Columbia is engaged in bicycle and pedestrian planning efforts, visit https://www.columbiacompass.org/walk-bike-columbia.html and https://planninganddevelopment.columbiasc.gov/master-plan/.

To sign up to receive email updates from the City of Columbia on transportation planning, visit https://forms.columbiasc.gov/243375701335858.