Downtown Simpsonville Construction Fall 2026: Routes & Events
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
This fall City Hall on East Curtis Street has two calendars running. The first is the Downtown Simpsonville Project, a street rebuild whose primary streetscape work is expected to reach substantial completion in August 2028, with portions of North and South Main Street possibly taking longer. The second is the Simpsonville Holiday Stroll, ten days of lights, Santa visits and evening markets at Gracely Park from December 3 to 12. In 2025 the city's holiday centerpiece was a one-night tree lighting on Gracely Park's Great Lawn, with a sing-along and hot chocolate. This year the park gets a much bigger program during the same months Main Street turns into a work zone. The city hasn't publicly linked the two decisions. For the next two years, though, the park is the steady part of downtown, and the streets around it keep changing.
The project started in August with the four concrete islands on Main Street. Crews began removing them before the August 4 groundbreaking, which brought together Thrift Development, city staff and Simpsonville City Council.
"Removing this island represents the first visible step in a project that is the result of years of planning, design and coordination," Simpsonville Mayor Paul Shewmaker told the Greenville Journal.
The islands were the first step toward a bigger change. According to the Greenville Journal's groundbreaking report, traffic within about five blocks of Main Street will move to a counterclockwise pattern recommended by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
| Street or movement | Planned change |
|---|---|
| College Avenue | One-way from North Maple Street through the Academy Street intersection |
| Curtis Street | One-way over the same stretch |
| Arriving from I-385 | Turn left on College Avenue, then right on Curtis Street |
| Curtis Street at Academy Street | New traffic light for right turns onto Academy |
That table will change how a lot of people drive downtown. On the city's project page, the answer to whether traffic patterns will change permanently is yes, and it adds that "drivers should expect a period of adjustment." The scope also covers more than paving. It includes drainage, utilities, signals, lighting, landscaping, crosswalks, curb ramps and new gathering spaces.
The city budgets about $31 million for the project. That breaks down to $23.1 million from the city's capital projects fund, $3.8 million from the Greenville Legislative Delegation Transportation Committee, $1.9 million from the state and $2.2 million in hospitality and accommodations revenue bond proceeds. WYFF's August 5 report called it a $22 million project. The city's figure came later, and neither source explains the gap. CoTransCo handles design and management for the delegation's committee, and Thrift Development is the general contractor.
Since the new loop is the end goal, the next two years will be a series of short detours. The September closure on East College Street shows how they work. Vehicles were blocked between Church and Hedge streets through the end of September for underground utility work. Detours ran on Academy, Church, Hedge and East Curtis, and the closure was expected to extend toward North East Main Street late in the month. That notice has expired, and no newer block-by-block notice has been published. The streets you drove last week may not match what's open today.
The city's main tool for keeping up is a text line. Text DowntownSVL to 38276 for lane closures, detours and traffic changes. If you have a problem on site, the city takes calls at 864-967-9526, email at [email protected], and visits at City Hall, 425 E. Curtis St.
On parking, an August 5 Who's On The Move report after the groundbreaking told visitors to allow extra time and pointed to public lots along Trade and Curtis streets. That advice came early, and the city says parking will keep shifting as crews move. The finished project will also change parts of the parking and street network for good. The city expects downtown businesses to stay open throughout construction, though driveways, sidewalks and parking near any given storefront may change from one week to the next.
The construction hasn't stopped new businesses from opening downtown. Scout's Doughnuts and Coffee, the family-owned Greenville shop founded by husband-and-wife team Ryland and JP, served customers for several weeks at 109 S.E. Main St. before its grand opening on Saturday, October 3. The Greenville News lists hours of Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The owners have hinted that Sunday hours are coming, and the shop offers gluten-free doughnuts.
A short walk away on Curtis, two more downtown businesses are coming. NEAT Bourbon Bar and Indigo Kitchen plan to open at 123 E. Curtis St., the former Koinophobic Boutique space, in early 2027. If that timeline holds, they'll open during the work on the Curtis Street side of the new loop.
Outside the construction zone, 7 Brew's drive-through at 687 Fairview Road is open, and the company's locator lists daily hours.
Most of the season's events take place off the construction streets, at Heritage Park and Gracely Park. The Christmas parade is the one big exception.
The trail item stands out on this list because it's the only one that asks something of residents. SCDOT's preliminary plan calls for buying right-of-way in spring 2027, then about eight months of construction starting in spring 2028. If that holds, the Bryson Drive work and the downtown streetscape work would both be underway in the same year. The comment window closes this month.
The parade is the event most likely to feel different this year. It runs down the same Main Street where the islands came out in August, and the route and closure hours are posted as usual. Even so, the street underneath it is now mid-rebuild, and some stretches may look different by December than they do today.
Over the ten days of the Stroll, the city plans four main attractions at the park.
The city hasn't released times or the full program yet. It says schedule details, attraction times, photos and video will be added as plans are finalized, and that everything is subject to change. The Holiday Stroll page is the place to check, and its sponsorship package is already posted for businesses that want to take part.
Last year's single evening on the Great Lawn has grown to two separate weeks of programming, two market nights and a parade weekend in between. The city's project page describes the finished downtown as having more lighting, landscaping and gathering spaces. Until those are built, Gracely Park is where the season's lights and markets will be.
If you own a home a few blocks from Main Street, the new one-way loop may change the drive to your door and the way buyers reach it. Andreana Snyder keeps up with each phase of the Downtown Simpsonville Project and can tell you how it affects your street, whether you're staying put or getting ready to list. Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll go through the changes block by block.
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