You may have noticed that Duke Energy has removed light poles on North Greene Street in order to get ready for the impending demolition of the Bellemeade Street Deck in downtown Greensboro.

And you can prepare for road and sidewalk closures beginning Monday, April 21.

The project is being handled by D.H. Griffin Companies, which is barricading off some roads ahead of the demolition. Detours and sidewalk closures will also be in place throughout the process.

The demolition of the large parking deck is expected to take about eight months – subject to weather conditions. Residents and businesses in the immediate area can anticipate heavy equipment traveling to and from the site during this time; motorists should expect delays and consider using alternate routes.

Here’s a list of the lane closures around the work zone:

  • The two southbound lanes of North Greene Street from Bellemeade Street to south of Sternberger Place closest to the parking deck
  • The eastbound lane of Bellemeade Street from North Elm Street to North Greene Street
  • The southbound lane of North Elm Street from Bellemeade Street to north of the mid-block crossing at Center City Park.

As the project gets underway, work crews will begin by dismantling sections of the deck in stages, with safety as their first priority.

According to information put out by the City of Greensboro on Sunday, April 20,

“Inspectors identified structural safety concerns at the Bellemeade Street Deck in late 2023, which resulted in the closure and shoring of the top four floors. Built in 1989, the deck closed permanently on February 15. City Council approved the demolition contract three days later. Future redevelopment options for the site remain under discussion.”

In addition to the information about the deck’s demolition, the city noted that drivers and others downtown should be mindful of other road projects in the vicinity that are already in progress:

They are as follows:

  • North Greene Street lane closures from Sternberger Place to West Friendly Avenue
  • South Greene Street lane closures from West Market Street to West Washington Street
  • West Friendly Avenue lane closures from North Elm Street to Commerce Place
  • North Davie Street closure from East Market Street to East Friendly Avenue
  • South Davie Street lane closures from East McGee Street to East Market Street.

You can visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/RoadProjects for updates on lane and road closures and you can also subscribe to receive email notifications regarding upcoming work on city streets.

City officials decided late last year to bring the large parking deck down.  They said at the time that the decision came after more than a year of engineering evaluations and partial closures. They also said that it became clear repairing the aging structure simply wouldn’t be cost-effective.

Greensboro City Manager Trey Davis said years of weather and wear and tear from automobiles have taken their toll on the structure.

“It’s time to move toward long-term solutions, which involves preparing the deck for demolition,” Davis said at the time the decision was made last November.

Structural problems were first discovered in the upper levels of the deck, and that led to the city closing those off well over a year ago. Engineers also discovered deteriorating support beams and cracks in the concrete walls. The city then reinforced the deck with trusses to stabilize it.  That allowed the bottom three floors to remain safely open for parking; however, city officials eventually decided that it would be necessary to demolish the deck.

So parking is going to get even harder than it has been in the past in downtown Greensboro. There’s a lot of construction going on downtown; the city and Guilford County are both major employers in downtown; and the area has been thriving with new businesses coming in.

City Councilman and President of Downtown Greensboro Zack Matheny said last November that it was clear this was the best option after engineering firms studied the matter.

The parking deck, which is bounded by Greene, Bellemeade and North Elm streets, has a spiral staircase that runs to the top of the structure’s seven floors. The deck was considered very stylish for its time when it was built more than three decades ago and some marble imported from Italy was used in the construction.

At that time, it was believed to be the biggest municipal parking garage in North Carolina.

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