Cover slide (included in PDF only)
Welcome and thank you for attending the online public information meeting for the Butler Road Improvements project. This online meeting is available for viewing from January 5 through February 5, 2021.

Introduction (PPT Slide 1/PDF page 2)
The purpose of this public information meeting is to present project information for your review and gather your input on the project. All meeting materials that would be available in person, including displays, handouts, and comment forms, are available here on the project website. 

Overview (PPT Slide 2/PDF page 3)
This video will provide a brief history and overview of the project and funding, discuss the purpose and need, explain the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, process, describe the proposed improvements, and provide an overview and description of the project displays. The video will be available on the Home page through February 5, 2021. After February 5, you can find the video and all the meeting materials on the Project Resources page. 

Project History and Funding (PPT Slide 3/PDF page 3)
Potential improvements along the corridor were previously studied and included in various reports and planning documents. In 2008, SCDOT developed a planning report for improvements to Butler Road to identify potential benefits, impacts, and areas of concern, and identify a purpose and need. The SCDOT study proposed to widen East Butler Road to five lanes. The public was not receptive to these improvements; therefore, the City of Mauldin received funding from the Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study, or GPATS, to conduct the East Butler Road Corridor Study to gain a better understanding of future travel demand and to document Mauldin citizens’ desires to develop an alternative design to the previously proposed five-lane roadway. The corridor study was completed in January 2016. It noted that several intersection improvements and dedicated bicycle and pedestrian facilities are needed. Please refer to the corridor study, which is linked in this website for more information. 
GPATS is the Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO, for the Greenville urban area. One task of GPATS is to create and schedule funding for transportation projects. Federal funding was first obligated for the project in October 2016. Since then the proposed project was allocated to receive $17 million in funding beginning in 2019, which includes design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction, which is outlined in GPATS’ Transportation Improvement Plan. 

Purpose and Need (Slide 4/PDF page 5)
The purpose of the project is to improve the operational efficiency, including improvements to the existing bicycle-pedestrian (or bike-ped) facilities, along East Butler Road between US 276 (N. Main Street) and the Mauldin Senior Center entrance on East Butler Road.

Proposed Improvements (Slide 5/PDF page 6)
Based on the purpose and need and traffic findings, the proposed project would construct curb and gutter, a sidewalk on one side, and a multiuse path on the other side of the roadway to tie into the existing bike-ped facilities. The project would also include several intersection improvements:
* the North Main Street intersection,
* Murray Drive and Fairfield Drive
* the Old Mill Road intersection,
* the Bethel Drive intersection,
* and modifications at Brookbend Road to eliminate the Y-configuration and have one intersection for entering and exiting the neighborhood. 
These intersection improvements would improve operations and traffic flow at the intersections and along the corridor. The project would also replace existing culverts with two bridges on East Butler Road over Gilder Creek. 

Proposed Improvements (Slides 6, 7, 8, and PIM display/PDF pages 7-9)
Let’s take a closer look at the proposed design for the Butler Road corridor, which is shown on the display and in the project handout. At the North Main Street intersection, the roadway would be widened to extend the length of the existing westbound turn lanes to accommodate more vehicles in the turn lanes. New pavement is shown in black. The existing sidewalk on the westbound side will be improved and replaced with a multiuse path, which will extend to Mauldin City Park and the Senior Center entrance on East Butler Road, as shown in magenta. The sidewalk on the eastbound side of the road will also be improved. At Murray Drive, the roadway will be widened for right- and left-turning lanes with a painted median, as indicated in yellow. Access for Fairfield Drive will also be modified. A planted median will be placed at the intersection of Owens Lane to make the intersection right in/right out only. The multiuse path will also extend along Murray Drive in front of the Cultural Center. Planted medians will be added in various locations throughout the corridor, as indicated in bright green. Concrete medians or curbs will also be added for access control, and are depicted in red. The Old Mill Road and Bethel Drive intersections will be realigned as shown. Old Mill Road will be realigned to minimize the existing skew and improve intersection operations. The Bethel Drive intersection will be relocated to the north to provide space from the intersection of Old Mill Road and to minimize relocations. The pink crosshatch pattern indicates pavement removal. Existing Bethel Drive at East Butler Road will be converted into a cul-de-sac, the Bethel Drive at Fargo Street intersection will be realigned, and a new bridge, shown in purple, will be constructed over an existing wetland and pond. The existing culverts that carry Gilder Creek beneath East Butler Road will be replaced with new bridges, as shown in purple. The existing Y-configuration at Brookbend Road will be eliminated, as indicated by the pink crosshatch pattern, and one leg will be converted into a new cul-de-sac, as shown in black. This will produce one intersection at Brookbend Road. The Butler Road corridor improvements will tie into the new curb and gutter and intersection improvements in front of the Mauldin Senior Center. On the display, the orange represents potential new right-of-way that may be needed. This right-of-way is preliminary and subject to change. The project is anticipated to take right-of-way from a public park (Mauldin City Park) owned by the City of Mauldin for the road improvements. Based on the project’s proposed use of the park, FHWA intends to make a de minimis, or minimal impact, finding for the project. SCDOT is in coordination with the City of Mauldin and would improve access to the park with the proposed improvements. 
To see the other alternatives considered at the Bethel Drive and Old Mill Road intersections, you can view them on the website or contact Project Manager Casey Lucas for a hard copy. 

NEPA (Slides 9,10, and 11/PDF pages 10-12)
Because federal funds are involved in the project, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires preparation of an environmental document to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. NEPA requires that federal agencies fully evaluate the project’s impacts to the human and natural environment, and provides opportunities for federal, state, and local agencies and the public to offer input during the project’s development. The environmental document will evaluate impacts with respect to the proposed de minimis finding on Mauldin City Park, or any possible social, economic, and environmental effect of the proposed project on the community. The environmental document identifies the purpose and need of the project, analyzes alternatives that may meet the purpose and need, and recommends a preferred alternative based on an impact analysis and public input. After receiving and incorporating your feedback, further evaluation will be completed regarding the proposed design and project impacts. Anticipated impacts for the proposed design are shown in the table. 

Comments/We Want Your Input (Slide 12/PDF page 13)
We want your input! Please share your comments from January 5 through February 5 in any of the following ways to have them included as part of the project record: 
* Provide your comments online by filling out the online form on buildingabetterbutler.com; 
* Download a comment card and mail your comments to SCDOT Project Manager, Casey Lucas, 955 Park Street, P.O. Box 191, Columbia, SC 29201-3959; 
* Email your comments to the project email address: butlerroad@scdot.org, or 
* Provide your input in person by scheduling an appointment for an in-person meeting on January 14 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Mauldin Cultural Center, 101 East Butler Road, Mauldin, SC. There, you can fill out a comment card and drop it in a comment box. 

Only written comments will receive responses. 
Thank you for your interest in this project. We look forward to hearing from you.