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Southernside getting new bridge after civil rights complaint

Anna Lee
zlee@greenvillenews.com

A year-long federal probe into the state Department of Transportation alleging civil rights violations over a truss bridge in Greenville's Southernside community has ended.

Neighborhood leaders said they have withdrawn the complaint the Federal Highway Administration was investigating in light of recent efforts to bridge the hole left behind on Hampton Avenue.

The complaint, filed by state Rep. Chandra Dillard and longtime resident Mary Duckett, alleged that the state transportation department violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by excluding Southernside, "an economically disadvantaged community of color," from the decision to demolish the bridge because of their race and income level.

In a meeting with editors and reporters of The Greenville News, Dillard, Duckett and City Councilwoman Lillian Brock Flemming said transportation officials are working with the county to build a new pedestrian bridge, estimated at $1.3 million, that will reconnect residents to the city that lies on the other side.

"They're committed to it," Dillard said.

Dillard said the bridge had been closed to traffic for about 15 years when it was removed by Norfolk Southern in September of 2012 after the transportation department determined it was unsafe for pedestrians to cross.

Department of Transportation officials at the time said the bridge had to be removed because it was too expensive to repair and that people would be able to use Pete Hollis Boulevard — 1.5 miles away — to get across the railroad tracks.

On Monday, Department of Transportation spokesman Pete Poore said the agency is providing "technical assistance" for the county as options for a new structure are being explored.

County Administrator Joe Kernell said the county's Transportation Committee, which funds different transportation projects using gas tax money, has already pledged $500,000 to help build the bridge. The rest would be paid for with a 1 percent sales tax hike, provided voters authorize it during the November referendum.

The bridge is ranked second in priority on the list of road projects the sales tax increase could buy.

If voters reject the referendum, "We have a Plan B," Dillard said. Options could include additional grants or gas tax allocations.

Kernell said the county still needs to work out details with the Department of Transportation, which owns the road and right-of-way, and Norfolk Southern before putting up a replacement bridge.

These efforts come none too soon for an area in which most folks get around by walking, and the loss of the bridge "has almost killed and destroyed one side," Duckett said.

"Houses have been torn down, businesses moved or died," said Flemming, whose City Council district includes parts of Southernside. "The people who live over there feel very hopeless."