The city of Hinesville is nearing the end of a storm water drainage project to alleviate flooding in the downtown area, especially on South Main Street, during periods of intense rain.

As a result, South Main Street will be closed to through traffic between Bagley Avenue and East Hendry Street from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sept. 7 for utility work. South Main Street will reopen as only two lanes Sept. 9, and normal traffic patterns will resume at 5 p.m. Sept. 9.

Residents can expect a detour onto South Commerce Street to gain access to businesses along the portion of South Main Street that will be closed to through traffic.

“This project will improve the downtown drainage system to accommodate improvements upstream such as new downtown buildings,” said Matthew Barrow of P.C. Simonton and Associates, the city’s engineering consulting firm. 

Along with improving drainage on South Main Street, the project also included piping and closing of an open ditch from Oglethorpe Highway to South Commerce Street.

This was done to reduce flooding, minimize required maintenance and protect adjacent structures. The improvements will eliminate some flooding issues the city experienced in the past and allow the redevelopment of the southern portion of the downtown area to continue by providing adequate drainage facilities.

“This $1,100,000 project is being funded through our storm water utility fund and financed through the Georgia Environmental Financing Authority,” Hinesville City Manager Billy Edwards said. 

The project is being constructed in coordination with the Bryant Commons project so that surface water runoff is controlled in an environmentally responsible way. The entire project is expected to be completed by Nov. 1.