First phase of $16 million project progressing on schedule
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Construction crews have spent months reshaping Paris Avenue, Port Royal’s main street, as the town works through the first phase of what officials call the biggest capital project in the town’s history.
Work underway on first phase
Work began in mid-March with a Joco Construction backhoe tearing up pavement near the town’s gateway at the Cypress Wetlands. The first phase, budgeted at roughly $1.6 million, stretches from Parker’s to the Helena House assisted living facility and was expected to take about six months to complete. It is the opening piece of a $16 million overhaul of the corridor, the largest project the town has ever undertaken, Town Manager Van Willis said.
The redesign will narrow an especially wide roadway, originally built to handle truck traffic, into a more pedestrian-friendly main street better suited to today’s mix of restaurants, shops and foot traffic.
Where the work stands now
In a July 27 update, the town said road grading and compaction work was continuing, with compaction testing underway that week ahead of the road base being placed. Curb installation was also progressing, with forming expected to wrap up during the week of July 27 after the first concrete truck arrived on site July 23.
Crews were also installing conduit for new street lighting as of late July. The Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority was scheduled to relocate a fire hydrant during the week of July 27, and the town said it continues to coordinate with Southern Palmetto on installing irrigation conduit. Savannah Hardscapes was scheduled to begin work during the week of August 3.
“While construction may result in temporary inconveniences, these upgrades will enhance the safety, appearance, and functionality of the area for residents, businesses, and visitors alike,” the town said in the update.
What the redesign includes
Town officials have said the project will touch nearly every part of the corridor, including a full redo of curb and gutter, underground utilities, pavers, benches and trash cans. Design plans call for new “High Rise Live Oaks” and Fringe Trees to eventually line both sides of Paris Avenue for its full length, replacing palmettos currently planted in the medians and traffic islands.
Twenty-six new oaks are planned for the section near the Cypress Wetlands, joining existing pine and oak trees along that stretch, which will be bricked over as part of the redesign.
One of the more distinctive touches in the first phase is a 15-by-20-foot brick mosaic of local wildlife, including alligators, otters, snakes, turtles and wading birds, that will be embedded in a raised brick crosswalk in front of the Cypress Wetlands.
Travel lanes are also being narrowed to make room for wider, shaded plaza-like areas along the street, plus bike racks and signage directing cyclists to the Spanish Moss Trail, which is expected to eventually run along the southwestern side of the Port Royal peninsula with a starting point on Paris Avenue.
Some businesses feeling the strain
Not every business along the corridor has weathered the construction as smoothly as town officials describe. Griddle & Grits, a restaurant on Paris Avenue, said in a series of Facebook posts in late July and early August that ongoing construction outside its doors has cut off customer access and sent sales into a sharp decline.
In a July 31 post, the restaurant told followers it has “been having a tough time these last few months,” and asked the community to keep supporting local businesses despite the disruption. The restaurant also announced it would close for two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 4 and 5, while its sidewalk was torn out and replaced as part of the streetscape work.
Days later, in an Aug. 1 post, Griddle & Grits said the construction has made it “nearly impossible for customers to reach” the restaurant and that it is now on the verge of bankruptcy, citing rent, payroll and food costs it says it is struggling to cover. The restaurant, whose GoFundMe campaign was organized by Blake Kennedy, had raised $2,310 toward a $6,000 goal as of early August.
Other nearby businesses have stepped in to help. Blackstone’s Cafe, a Beaufort restaurant, said on Facebook it would share half its profits from sales on Aug. 4 and 5, the two days Griddle & Grits was closed, with the Port Royal restaurant. Owner Jake Higgins encouraged customers to support Griddle & Grits directly as well.
“Griddle & Grits is a great restaurant in Port Royal, owned and operated by great people who make delicious food and serve up a true Southern meal experience,” Higgins wrote.
What’s next?
Town officials have emphasized that businesses along Paris Avenue remain open throughout construction, despite lane shifts and periodic disruption. Willis pointed to a recent dinner at Frank’s Bistro as evidence the corridor is still drawing crowds.
The Paris Avenue work is one piece of a broader slate of infrastructure and economic development projects Port Royal has planned for 2026, including the rebuild of the town’s historic shrimping dock and processing facility between Shell Ring and Fishcamp, continued planning for a public waterfront promenade along Battery Creek, and the recently completed sidewalk reconstruction near the Naval Hospital.
Willis said the town is also working with the Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority on a master plan to address septic-to-sewer conversions along Ribaut Road, and is preparing to launch an economic development study, funded by a grant from the Beaufort County Economic Development Corp., to identify what types of businesses would be a good fit for the town’s commercial corridors.
Town officials have not announced a timeline for the remaining phases of the Paris Avenue overhaul.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.