Clyburn Transportation Center plans updated; S.C. State upgrades take shape

South Carolina State University has updated plans for the long-awaited completion of the James E. Clyburn Transportation Center to present to the Federal Highway Administration.

About $13 million in federal funding, along with a $2.5 million match from the state, is available to build out the center on the Russell Street side of campus.

The Clyburn Transportation Center’s mission is to assist federal, state and local agencies in meeting their goals to develop a highly skilled workforce to meet the future needs in transportation.

S.C. State hopes to have the 35,000-square-foot project out for bid by summer.

Four other major projects also are under development at S.C. State. They are:

• Queens Village Renovation – S.C. State will refurbish seven vacant residential cottages this spring.

The Queens Village apartment complex, which was built in the mid-1970s, will undergo its first major renovation.

Formerly used as married student housing, each of the seven buildings will have four two-bedroom, one-bath apartments. Each room will be single occupancy. The project is slated to bid later this month with work to begin in late April.

The Queens Village project will add 56 beds to S.C. State’s residential capacity – a much-needed addition given the university’s enrollment growth.

• Student Outdoor Pavilion: The pavilion will be a 50-foot by 80-foot concrete pad with a 50-foot by 40-foot structure covering the end closest to the Student Center.

The structure will be lighted and be outfitted with Wi-Fi and bleacher seating for students to enjoy outdoor concerts or movies. Basketball goals also will be installed.

The outdoor pavilion also will include amenities made possible by a grant from Home Depot’s Retool Your School social media competition.

• Kirkland W. Green Student Center Renovation: S.C. State will soon release specifications for the Kirkland W. Green Student Center renovation.

This $4.4 million project will completely update the interior to include more technology and life safety infrastructure, while also providing a new roof, windows and doors for the exterior. The renovation is slated to bid in April with construction starting in May. Completion is expected in 2024.

S.C. State also has $20 million in state funding to continue the Student Center upgrade by adding 30,000 square feet, giving the university 62,000 square feet of modern space specifically for student life activities.

S.C. State expects to put that phase of the renovation out to bid in 2024.

• Sojourner Truth Hall Renovation: On March 2, S.C. State received initial approval for the renovation of Sojourner Truth Hall from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.

The $10 million project was funded through a state allocation in the 2022-23 budget.

The renovation will allow the university to retrofit Truth Hall with fire-suppression sprinkler systems and complete other upgrades. The university has been able to house students only in the tower’s lower floors in recent years because the upper floors are inaccessible to firetrucks.

S.C. State says the Truth renovation is an essential infrastructure component necessary to accommodate the university’s enrollment growth. It will bring more than 200 beds back online for student housing.

S.C. State administrators estimate work will begin this November or December, making the additional residential capacity available in August 2024.