Construction began Aug. 5, 2025, on a new pedestrian bridge in the upstate South Carolina city of Greenville, long known for its emphasis on building parks and trails in several locales, including the heart of its downtown.
Parts of the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville are now shuttered to cyclists and pedestrians in connection with the latest project. The closure includes sidewalks and the section of the trail that stretches from Legacy Connector to Verdae Boulevard.
Municipal officials told WSPA-TV in nearby Spartanburg that the closures have occurred to make way for the Verdae Pedestrian Bridge, a more than $4.5 million project that will provide a safe crossing for people who use the Green Line Extension of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.
Although the structure has been two years in the making, all the necessary funding wasn't available to make it happen until this year. State funding approved in 2024 provided $2.9 million for the bridge's construction along with capital improvement money from Greenville for the initiative.
The Verdae Pedestrian Bridge is designed to be 1,180 ft. long, with nearly 500 ft. due to stretch over Verdae Boulevard, according to Greenville municipal representatives.
Nearly 15,000 cars drive along Verdae Boulevard daily, the city noted. With more than 1,000 people routinely using the Swamp Rabbit Trail's Green Line Extension each day, officials said safety has become a top priority.
As a temporary solution, the city installed a signalized trail crossing at the junction of the roadway and the trail while officials continued to plan a separate crossing that will eliminate the intersection of the two busy corridors to ensure everyone's safety.
"We are thrilled to be at this point," Clint Link, an engineer with the city, told WSPA-TV. "We have been planning this project for several years."
Construction on the Verdae Pedestrian Bridge will last at least a year, he added.
Before construction of the Verdae Boulevard bridge can officially begin, crews will first clear trees around the designated access points, an effort that will likely go on for approximately 4-6 weeks.
Once completed, Greenville officials said trail expansion into Mauldin, southeast of Greenville, can continue, ensuring uninterrupted access along this growing section of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.
"The SRT is a very popular trail," Link said. "It is not only just for people to enjoy from a recreational standpoint; it's become a major part of our transportation network in the city."
WSPA-TV learned that there will be periodic lane closures on Verdae Boulevard, but traffic will remain open in each direction for most of the project.
City leaders say once the new pedestrian bridge is completed, the trail will be paved from Verdae to Millennium Boulevard, completing the extension to reach the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) campus on the other side of I-85.
Currently, the section of the trail that continues south from the campus to Innovation Drive is in the design phase.
New Bridge Result of Collaborative Effort
In 2023, the city and county of Greenville worked together to create the Green Line of the Swamp Rabbit Trail, connecting Cleveland Park to the CU-ICAR campus and beyond.
When the extension first opened and funding was not available to complete an above-grade pedestrian bridge to transfer trail users over the extremely busy Verdae Boulevard, the crossing was always seen as a missing link. While not included in the first phase of construction, the proposed bridge remained on the minds of planners.
But when the Greenville City Council voted earlier in the year to provide funding for the next phase of construction, the wheels finally began to turn.
