Orange barrels, detours and work crews are commonplace on Augusta area streets, but officials say the projects are on track, and some, such as Broad Street business district improvements are set to finish by the end of 2026.
“It’s going to bring new life to the downtown. It’s going to serve all walks of life. It’s going to have some recreational features that people can enjoy after hours. They can sit down around the James Brown linear park (on) benches. We’ll have musical features as part of that…It’s going to bring some unique things – attractions for everybody,” said Hameed Malik, the city of Augusta’s engineering department director.
Multiple infrastructure improvements through the Transportation Investment Act of 2010 (TIA), known unofficially as TSPLOST, have been going on for several years in Richmond and Columbia counties.
Funded through a special one cent Georgia sales tax initially approved by voters in 2012, TIA projects cover a wide range of improvements such as roadway capacity and resurfacing and reconstructing the existing curb and gutter, sidewalks and storm sewer systems.
One current major project in Augusta is the Broad Street business district which has seen the removal of trees, traffic down to a single lane in both directions, the removal of parking bays and the removal of sidewalks thus far.
The disturbance to the area has forced annual events such as Augusta’s Pride celebration and Arts in the Heart of Augusta to the Exchange Club Fairgrounds.
David Hutchison, owner of the Book Tavern, said the work has caused some disruptions to his business, but he’s optimistic as the end of work is near.
“My growth curve from May last year showed a very strong upward growth. The minute this stuff started, that tapered off. We’re doing o.k. When they get to our block and tear up the sidewalk, that will be the more difficult part,” he said.
City officials said the project is moving just as it should. Hutchison and other business owners should be able to breathe a sigh of relief soon.
“We’re on schedule,” Malik said.
Currently Broad Street projects are being completed block-by-block.
Malik said there have been a couple of hiccups that brought delays but those have been resolved.
“We had a three-or four-week delay because of multiple things. One is the Atlanta Gas line. When they put the new line, they kept the old line active They never told us. That caused a little bit of a delay. We finally got to decommission that line,” he said. “Originally, we were going to tie the new storm to the old storm line that was very old clay pipe. That was my decision not to tie to the old line in even though it was still o.k. We’re going to put in a new line. That was about four-or five-week delay on that. We’re back on track. Everything got resolved.”
Malik said changes such as replacing the old clay storm drains made sense.
“The storm sewer drains were never really upgraded. That was my concern. The lines were still good, but we’re already digging up the road. We ought to do it now,” he said.
He anticipates work between 10th and 12th Streets to be finished by Aug. 14.
Also the James Brown Linear Park is progressing on schedule. The park itself should be finished by October, but outer side work won’t be completed until around December.
The linear park will see the return of the James Brown statute which was removed during construction.
“The artistry is everywhere. You will walk under shade structures featuring iconic album covers and ‘I Feel Good’ sheet music that casts musical shadows on the ground. The very pavement beneath your feet tells a story, with ‘sound wave’ patterns and an engraved timeline of 20 legendary hits. Even the benches are shaped like guitar picks, and the planters are modeled after Grammy Award bases, engraved with the awards won by James Brown,” according to the city’s website.
The statue will have a new stage with a ramp for accessibility.
Malik said that landscaping will be done to the Broad Street corridor, but it will take time for the plants to mature.
It could be two to three years before people see the growth.
Work on the Olde Town portion of Broad Street will go into 2027, he said.
As for Telfair Street, most of the work has been done.
“The hold-up on Telfair is not us. it’s Georgia Power. Georgia Power is redoing their duct system on Eighth Street. They are still working at intersection of Telfair and Eighth. We cannot pave the road until they finish,” he said.
To more about downtown projects, go here. For other TIA projects, go here .
Some of Columbia County’s largest TIA projects have included the multiyear Fury’s Ferry Road widening project and the Diverging Diamond Interchange at Lewiston Road and I-20.
Current road work includes temporary lane closures at Industrial Park Drive due to utility work. The northbound lane located 200 feet from North Belair Road will be closed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. July 21-22, 2026; Also, north of the Hardy MacManus roundabout on Fury’s Ferry Road from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 20, and Friday, July 24. This temporary lane closure is associated with the roadway-widening project for Furys Ferry Road.
Also there will be temporary lane closures on Hardy McManus Road between its intersections with River Oaks Lane and Sam Baston Drive due to right-of-way clearing. The lane closures will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 20 through Friday, July 24.
And there will be temporary lane closures on Stevens Creek Road from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. through Wednesday, July 22, weather permitting.
In 2012, voters in three regions – River Valley, Central Savannah River Area (lkjCSRA), and Heart of Georgia Altamaha (HOGA) – approved their participation and in 2018 the Southern Georgia region joined them. Voters in all four regions have since approved second TIA terms, with the participation dates for River Valley, CSRA and HOGA as 2023 – 2032, and for Southern Georgia as 2026 – 2036, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named best local writer by readers of Augusta Magazine in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
