SC State Fair upgrading facility

South Carolina State Fair officials are touting safer entries and walkways, added green space and increased exhibition areas in the latest wave of upgrades that begin in earnest this week.

It all starts Monday, when construction is slated to begin on a new ticket booth at the Rosewood Drive entrance and a new outdoor plaza.

Meanwhile, construction of a long-anticipated pedestrian walkway between the fairgrounds and nearby Williams-Brice Stadium also is set to be completed by this summer in advance of the planned widening of Bluff Road from Rosewood Drive to Interstate 77.

The road widening is still several years away, but the on-ground projects are expected to be finished in time for football season and this year’s 146th anniversary fair Oct. 14-25.

“Our completion date is Aug. 15,” State Fair manager Gary Goodman said of the upgrades, which will be among the most visible in recent years.

The changes are part of a long-range plan the fair launched in 2009 that has included a renovated parking lot, expanded Grandstand entrance, new grounds-wide aerial security system and visual improvements at several entrances.

The fair most recently broke ground on a 36,000-square-foot exhibition hall adjacent to the existing Cantey Building near the south gate. The still-to-be-named building will feature shopping and various commercial exhibits. That building also is scheduled to be ready by fall.

“Exhibits comprise a large part of the fair and the additional space gives our patrons an opportunity to see what the people of South Carolina can do,” said fair assistant manager, Nancy Smith. “We have exhibitors from every county in the state represented in our competitive exhibits.”

The new entrance at Rosewood will route guests farther away from the road as they come into the fair, officials said.

“It will be a much safer way to get people in,” said Tim Wilson, the fair’s operations manager who has overseen many of the upgrades.

The Rosewood entrance will be closed during construction and guests must use the Gate 11 entrance along Bluff Road until the work is finished.

The Hampton Building near that same entrance also is being demolished, beginning Monday, and replaced with a Hampton Plaza green space area that will accommodate outdoor dining, tailgating and other activities.

The new pedestrian pathway will offer greater safety to those traveling the fair’s perimeter on foot, including University of South Carolina football fans who tailgate on the fairgrounds and walk to nearby Williams-Brice Stadium.

“That will allow pedestrians to get off the shoulders (of the highway),” Goodman said.

To accommodate the walkway, the fair is moving its exterior fencing in eight feet along that stretch. That will line up with fencing along a stretch of Bluff Road closer to the stadium that was recessed a few years ago.

The walkway will not be paved until the Bluff Road widening is finished.

Richland County transportation director Rob Perry said the expanded highway will include a center turn lane with bike and pedestrian paths from Rosewood Drive to I-77. He said it was logical to coordinate the two projects.

“We’ve been trying to partner up (with the fair),” Perry said. “It doesn’t make sense for them to do something and us come right back and tear it up.”

The right-of-way for the widening will be acquired next year and construction should start in 2017, he said. The widening project is expected to take one or two years to finish.

The fair’s long-range improvements began in 2009 with the opening of Carolina Park. The $5 million upgrade to the fairgrounds parking lot included 4,105 spaces on nearly 40 acres as well as improved lighting, more green space and an underground drainage system. About the same time, the fair added a new wrought-iron exterior fence along George Rogers Boulevard.

The more noticeable upgrades are being accompanied by other changes along the grounds and the rearrangement of structures inside some buildings. Other changes like electrical and water system upgrades are not as noticeable but will allow the fair to operate more efficiently, officials said.

“This place will really look different,” Wilson said.

This story was originally published February 16, 2015 at 7:18 AM.