Roadwork closes downtown, south Columbia streets

Starting Monday morning, a block of East Walnut Street will be closed for maintenance. The street will be closed from Melbourne to Ripley Streets through Wednesday.

The city is performing sewer repairs. They are also resurfacing the road.

This block of East Walnut has residential homes on it, and there are a number of apartments and other homes nearby. ABC 17 News reached out to the city to see if there would be special accommodations made for the residents who live on Walnut so they can have access to their homes. The city has not yet responded.

This week, many students will also be moving back to town, possibly creating even more traffic in the downtown area.

In south Columbia, two road projects will also be starting this week involving asphalt overlays.

Southland Drive between Rock Quarry and East Nifong will be closed beginning Monday. Carter Lane is scheduled for overlay from the Buttonwood Drive roundabout to just south of Green Meadows Road .

Carter Lane may have more of an impact on drivers because of its proximity to Providence Road and the shops and restaurants nearby.

These projects are a part of the city’s 2016 Pavement Management Plan. It’s based on the idea that preventative street maintenance is more cost effective than reconstruction.

The city also decided to do the asphalt overlay rather than milling the street, because once the asphalt has been laid, it can be driven on almost immediately.

Temporary lane closures are expected. Drivers are asked to be aware of detour signs and watch for directions from flaggers.

The City of Columbia maintains 1,360 lane miles of road way.