Intersection of Reade and Fifth streets closed for 4-5 months

A downtown Greenville intersection has been closed to widen sidewalks and make other improvements related to ongoing improvements to Fifth Street, the city said.

The intersection of East Fifth and Reade streets is expected to be closed to motorists for about four to five months starting this week. Along with widening sidewalks in the area, the improvements will include brick crosswalks, site furnishings and street trees. It is part of the $42-million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Project that began in August 2023.

Businesses along Reade Street and East Fifth Street will continue to be open to customers. To offset the inconvenience, the city is suspending parking enforcement in the downtown area until further notice. The city previously suspended parking enforcement in the Dickinson Avenue area because of construction work on that street.

“We recognize the headaches that go along with this type of construction, and we want to do everything we can to accommodate the merchants and their patrons,” said Brock Letchworth, the city’s communications manager/public information officer.

Signs will be posted to detour westbound motorists onto Jarvis and East Fourth streets, while eastbound motorists will be directed to Cotanche Street. Northbound traffic on Reade Circle will be detoured onto East Fifth Street. Pedestrians will be detoured to South Holly, West Fourth, and Cotanche streets.

For more information about the BUILD Project, including an updated project timeline and detour routes, visit buildprojects.greenvillenc.gov.