Road Work Ahead

Construction for the new 10th Street connector.

The 10th Street Connector, which began construction in October 2015, will be completed this spring, according to Senior Assistant Resident Engineer for Pitt County, Jason Beasley.

Beasley said the connector had many goals, some of which involved improving drainage systems, widening roads, traffic islands and a bridge spanning over Dickinson Avenue and the railroad tracks. He said throughout the project there has also been more sidewalks, landscaping and traffic signals created.

Beasley said the advancements were meant to benefit the Greenville area and allocate safer routes for direct access to Greenville’s hospital.

“The purpose of the Connector was to provide a quicker and safer route between the hospital area and the Uptown Greenville/ECU area,” Beasley said.

According to Beasley, the old utilities in the area were a conflict because it was abandoned and needing relocation in order to not further delay the project.

Funds for the project were granted by state and federal funds allocated to the construction, Beasley said.

Beasley said he understands the frustration behind the delays and construction sometimes affecting Greenville traffic, yet believes the project was built for the best.

“The department knows that the project has been a long process and an inconvenience at times to the public, but in the end it will help the flow of traffic and be a beautiful roadway into Greenville,” Beasley said.

Mayor P.J. Connelly said he is excited for the opening of the connector and is ready for the continuous improvements of construction taking place in Greenville.

“We’re excited. We’re anticipating that the 10th Street Connector will hopefully open up in the spring of 2019,” Connelly said. “So, we’re excited for that to open up and it’s going to be the gateway from the hospital to the university.”

While there are numerous construction projects currently overlapping in Greenville, Connelly is prepared for the overall outcome that will result from it all.

“We’re real excited, it’s going to be a great gateway to connect the western part of the city to the eastern part of the city, so we’re excited to see it open up and it’s going to be really neat to be able to look down and see all of the revitalizations taking place over at Dickinson Avenue, in addition to the 10th Street Connector as well,” Connelly said.

Saving time is important for Jessica Alvarez, an ECU nursing student. Alvarez said the connector will remove a level of stress for her since she will not have to worry about about being late to nursing school.

“It makes getting to work less stressful,” Alvarez said. “I mean as a nursing student you already have nerves going through you because of being in nursing school, but knowing I will get there on time because of the different routes that are available to us will make things less hectic in the early morning.”

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