The subject of Regency Mall continues to come up in most any discussion of revitalizing south Augusta, but little is said about the reasons why the mall failed.
Primary among these reasons is the lack of traffic arteries to and from the central city. Our city of Augusta has isolated south Augusta by failing to improve north-south transportation along the most direct routes.
We did an effective job of eliminating access to the south on 13th Street, which funnels into R.A. Dent Boulevard -- once Railroad Avenue and later University Place -- and goes to Wrightsboro Road with no way to continue on a southerly direction. We also widened 15th Street to the Wrightsboro Road overpass -- then reduced to a two-lane road -- the site of riots since the 1970s. A city with Augusta's resources should be able to clean up a one-mile stretch of 15th Street and widen to to five lanes, even if we have to build a bridge to get over the war zone.
Another opportunity for a north-south artery is to follow the 1950s path of U.S. Highway 1.
Going north on Twiggs Street from Walton Way to proceed along once-thriving Milledgeville Road -- now lined with vacant fields and empty buildings -- we easily understand why the street no longer is a bustling thoroughfare. Fifty years ago, this was the only way through Augusta -- U.S. highways 1, 25, 78 and 278. Very sad.
Dick Fox
Augusta
Comments
Dick Fox, are you new to Augusta? Do you know about the BJX? Do you know that 12th street will put you on MLK which ties to all routes south. Gordon hwy does the same thing and has plenty of lanes. Highland puts you in touch with south Augusta arteries. Access to south Augusta isn't the problem, it's law enforcement, or the lack thereof, in south Augusta that isolates the area.
A major part for the failure of Regency Mall was allowing thugs, punks, gangstas, etc to line the walkways of the mall. It became too dangerous to shop there.
PT, I was thinking the same thing. My place of employment is on the Gordon Hwy and It is plenty wide enough and a straight shot to Regency Mall. My job also takes me from my clinic to the VA Hospital at times and 15th St is an easy shot of only 3 to 4 miles which I clock for fuel expenses. The biggest reason for Regency Mall's failure was that people did not feel secure going there. Regency Mall security was either unable or unwilling to evict the thugs who intimidated shoppers and the same goes for the RCSO. I guess they felt like the thugs were exercising their freedom of expression.
Patricia is correct. I use Barnard Pkwy. and Gordon Hwy. to get downtown in a jiffy. Also, Bobby Jones has been extended and it's a good way to get to Olde Towne. If you need to get to the medical center, take Deans Bridge. There are plenty of good options, but it might be nice if they fill in some pot holes and re-surface the roads every now and then. When SPLOST first started they spent most of the money on asphalt. Now they're spending it on symphonies, mini-theatres, Paine College facilities, etc.
Hey Dick, decades-long resident and small business owner of Augusta, good letter. Glad to see you out there trying to be the part of a solution and not the problem. The great majority of SPLOST projects are for transportation. But filling potholes is bare survival and hopefully a SPLOST will leave a little something to remember. After all a road is no good unless it goes somewhere worth going to, and nobody visits Augusta because we have the best McDonalds in the state of Georgia.
I agree that Regency Mall's demise was thug/crime related. I worked there for the first 5 years it was opened. Augusta Mall needs to get their thug problem solved too. There's an article on this site toda about a mall in Lithonia banning teens at night...Augusta mall needs to listen up. The new Lifestyle section won't support the mall if folks are scared to shop there in the evenings. I think we have plenty of arteries to south Augusta. Insufficient thoroughfares is not the problem. But a good letter nonetheless.
Biggest problem with roads in Augusta is not being paved and too many poorly prepared tornup areas in the streets. A prime example is Jones St between 13th and 15th that is worse than a country dirt road it has been torn up so many tmes and poorly repaired. Augusta Mall does need to clean out the punks that hang out there.
Gordon Hwy is a 6 lane hwy that goes straight from South Augusta to downtown... and Peach Orchard Rd and Deans Bridge Rd all connect to it. How is the Southside suffering from a lack of access to downtown. The problem with Regency Mall was that the wealth was moving to the westside and out further in Columbia County, not that it lacked a north-south connection with downtown.
All of the thugs were able to get to Regency Mall just fine. Traffic was not the reason why it failed. And Milledgeville Rd. died when it got renamed MLK Blvd, because people associate it with a poor, run-down, high-crime black area. Maybe you don't remember, but business owners begged the then-commissioners to change the name back and the commissioners refused.
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