Orangeburg receives nearly $23M in funding to create new transit hub

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WCBD) – South Carolina has been awarded nearly $23 million to fund an infrastructure project aimed at redeveloping Railroad Corner in downtown Orangeburg.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Congressman Jim Clyburn were in Orangeburg on Wednesday morning to announce that $22,755,600 of the more than $2.2 billion RAISE discretionary grant program funds will help bring new life to an area that will soon serve as a new transit hub.

The redevelopment of Railroad Corner includes adding a pedestrian bridge over two state highways and a railroad, along with creating a multimodal transit hub with a new public transit stop, charging infrastructure of electric vehicles and bicycles, and adding a public parking structure.

“Using the funds in President Biden’s infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

U.S. Department of Transportation officials said the goal of the project is to better connect residential neighborhoods and the campuses of South Carolina State University and Claflin University to the downtown Orangeburg business district.

“The project will improve pedestrian safety, provide equitable access to the city’s public transit system, improve access to cultural assets and institutions of higher learning, and provide electric vehicle charging facilities to support alternative fueling,” said DOT leaders.

They believe the improvements will lend to a higher quality of life for existing and future residents by attracting new businesses, industries, and tourism to the area.