Greenwood presents Smith Valley Road segment one widening plan, outlines detour and right-of-way needs

Nicole Minton, a block consultant for the City of Greenwood, opened a public information meeting and outlined the city’s plans to widen Smith Valley Road’s segment one, from Browning Road to 31, to address growing congestion and add pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

The presenter for the project said traffic studies show current operations at about level of service D in the morning peak and E in the evening peak and that conditions are projected to worsen through the study year 2048. "The purpose of the project is to improve traffic flow while also improving pedestrians," the presenter said.

The project team has dismissed the no-build alternative as not meeting the project’s purpose and is advancing a design that would add two 12-foot travel lanes in each direction, a dual left-turn lane and a center turn lane. The design also calls for compliant multi-use paths on both sides of Smith Valley Road to improve walking and bicycling connectivity.

City staff said the project will require an estimated 1.7 acres of permanent right of way and about 0.1 acre of temporary right of way; the right-of-way acquisition process is scheduled to begin this summer and property owners who may be impacted will be contacted directly. The presenter said temporary right-of-way areas would be needed only during construction and would be returned when work is complete.

Construction is planned in multiple phases to maintain access: Phase one will focus on drainage improvements with one lane open in each direction; Phase two will build the westbound lanes while eastbound traffic would be detoured (the presenter said the anticipated eastbound detour would use AI Road, West Main Street and US 31) while maintaining one westbound lane; Phase three will complete the eastbound travel lanes with one lane in each direction open during work. Project staff said access to homes, businesses and properties within the project area will be maintained throughout construction.

The project team described ongoing environmental and utilities reviews and said project bidding is anticipated in fall 2027, with construction currently expected to begin in spring 2028. After the presentation, Minton added, "we anticipate construction season to last about a year on this project. That's ambitious. The goal is to get it done within a year." She also said segment one and segment two are funded and ready to move forward as design and approvals are completed; funding for segment three is being pursued and segments four and five are not yet funded or under design.

Members of the public were invited to submit written comments by email or mail using contact information in the meeting handout, to leave completed comment forms in the box at the back of the room, or to check the City of Greenwood project website for updates. The project team said they will contact property owners directly who may be affected by right-of-way acquisition and will post project notices online.