South Carolina has around $20 billion in road work underway or planned right now, from the Carolina Crossroads interchange rebuild in Columbia to an $825 million I-95 widening in Jasper County and a fresh I-85 corridor study here in the Upstate. At the same time, billion-dollar deals are landing across the state: a $1 billion Boeing expansion in Charleston, a $2.8 billion computing center headed to Spartanburg County, and a $2.1 billion data center campus in Gaffney. Closer to home, downtown Greenville is adding a 40-acre walkable neighborhood at County Square, a 29-story tower that would become the tallest building in South Carolina, and entertainment districts around Bon Secours Wellness Arena, in Mauldin, and in the West End. Just over the North Carolina line, the $1 billion Two Kings Casino Resort has already opened its first phase, with the full resort expected next year, about an hour and 15 minutes from downtown Greenville. All of this, the roads, the jobs, and the new development, helps support home values and grow the buyer pool across our market. If you're weighing whether to buy or sell while it's happening, reach out and let's talk through a plan that fits your timeline.

Here's the whole breakdown, the biggest megaprojects changing South Carolina right now:

A big chunk of that $20 billion is going into the roads you'll be driving every week. Even if you never leave Greenville, this still matters. South Carolina is a relatively small state, so when the whole state gets a boost like this, the Upstate benefits too. A stronger, rapidly growing statewide economy helps support home values and keeps our market moving.

First up is Carolina Crossroads in Columbia. For years, drivers have dreaded the spot where three interstates come together. Many locals just call it Malfunction Junction. There's a multi-billion dollar project rebuilding the whole thing: adding lanes, building dozens of new bridges, and redesigning the entire interchange. It's finally in the final phases of a project that's been underway for years, and travelers are starting to see the benefits of the headaches they've endured for years. If you've got family in Columbia or like taking trips to Charleston, that drive is going to get much easier, and less time sitting in traffic is never a bad thing.

Next up is Charleston, where another multi-billion dollar project is rebuilding one of the busiest interchange systems in the Lowcountry. They're widening I-526 and improving how it connects to I-26. It's going to take a few years, but it's tackling one of the biggest traffic headaches in the state.

Down near the SC-Georgia line, crews have started widening a busy stretch of I-95 in Jasper County. It's an $825 million project that expands the highway from four lanes to six and adds new bridges along the way. That's one of the busiest freight and travel corridors in the Southeast, so keeping it moving helps keep South Carolina moving too.

Closer to home, SCDOT has started a full study of I-85 here in the Upstate. They're also taking a hard look at the Woodruff Road traffic that backs up between Greenville and Spartanburg. You can already see interchange work happening near the airport in Greer. If you drive Woodruff Road, you know those improvements can't come soon enough.

When you put it all together, getting around South Carolina is going to get easier just as more people keep moving here. And that's only part of the story, because it's the people and businesses these projects bring into the state that really change things.

For anyone thinking about selling, the tech and aerospace side of this boom could be the most essential part.

In Charleston, Boeing is putting $1 billion into expanding its 787 Dreamliner campus. It's the biggest investment that site has ever seen. They're adding a second assembly building and ramping up production, which brings around 1,000 new jobs, and many of them are engineers and executives. Those buyers aren't shopping for starter homes. If you're selling in the higher price ranges, your buyer pool just got bigger.

Back in the Upstate, a company called NorthMark Strategies picked Spartanburg County for a $2.8 billion high performance computing center. It's designed to generate its own power on site, and the first phase is already getting underway. Despite lawsuits and air permit issues, the project is still underway and set to begin operations later this year. Some neighbors have raised concerns about water and power use, and that's fair. In fact, I covered the whole story in a separate video.

Then there's Gaffney, where a company called Cielo is investing about $2.1 billion into a campus with four massive data center buildings. The city got ahead of it by requiring noise studies and proof the power grid could handle the project before construction starts, and that's the right way to manage growth.

All these data centers need power, so South Carolina is expanding its energy capacity to keep up. The state already has well over a hundred utility-scale solar farms, and that industry is expected to keep growing for years. Every one of these projects gives major employers another reason to invest here, and that's good news for homeowners across the state.

Along the Catawba River in York County, South Carolina just opened its first new state park in about 20 years. There's already a 1,900-acre preserve open near Rock Hill, and a 1,400-acre state park addition is on the way. If you're dreaming about an active retirement with nature close by, this is the kind of project that makes the Upstate even more appealing.

Myrtle Beach is having a big year too. A 50,000-square-foot Guy Fieri Flavortown opened this summer with restaurants, a tiki bar, bowling, and an arcade. There's also a new pickleball complex called The PicklePort opening later this year, with indoor and outdoor courts. If you've caught the pickleball bug, you're going to love it. There's a new roller coaster on the way next year, too, and new breweries keep opening across the Grand Strand. You can drive from Greenville to Myrtle Beach in under 3.5 hours, and when you get there, you'll notice more places to eat, more things to do, and more reasons to make the trip.

Now for a few wildcards. There's a proposed $1 billion casino resort in Santee, right off I-95. It's a big idea, but that's all it is at the moment. Nothing has been approved, and construction hasn't started. There's also a South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame in the works, with plans for a concert hall, recording studios, and restaurants. It's still in the fundraising stage, but it's another project worth keeping an eye on.

The one that's already happening is the $1 billion Two Kings Casino Resort in Kings Mountain, NC, just over the SC border. The first phase opened this spring, and the full resort with the hotel, restaurants, and casino is expected next year. It's about an hour and 15 minutes from downtown Greenville. Before this, the closest casino was Harrah's Cherokee deep in the mountains, so this one is much closer for Upstate residents, and it's probably one reason that Santee proposal is getting so much attention.

The biggest changes are still taking place right in downtown Greenville, starting with Greenville County Square. An Atlanta developer is transforming about 40 acres along University Ridge, just steps from downtown, into a new walkable neighborhood. There will be new apartments, shops, restaurants, a hotel, office space, and plenty of green space. One of the biggest draws is a Whole Foods coming in a later phase. They're also adding a rooftop movie theater with two screens and a bar, where you could grab groceries, catch a movie, and walk home. That's exactly the kind of walkability buyers over 50 are looking for. The Sinclair, being built by Copper Builders, will be the first residential units delivered in the development, and those units are expected next spring. Pair that with South Carolina's low property taxes and strong healthcare from Prisma Health and Bon Secours, and it's easy to see why so many people are moving here. The neighborhoods around it are already feeling the impact.

Next up is Markley and Main in the West End near Fluor Field. It's bringing luxury apartments and retail, plus things like EV charging, golf simulators, a rooftop lounge, coworking space, and a pool. If you've wondered whether Greenville can offer that walkable, big city lifestyle, this project answers that.

On the old Memorial Auditorium site, which has sat vacant for decades, crews are building a 29-story residential tower. When it opens, it'll be simply the tallest building in South Carolina. It'll bring hundreds of new apartments, over 100 jobs to Greenville, ground floor shops, and a public art gallery and plaza. It's expected to finish in the next couple of years. I haven't heard anything recently on this one, but as far as I know, plans are still underway to go vertical soon, so it's worth confirming current status before you count on a timeline.

Greenville isn't the only city growing. Columbia is getting a new twin tower project on Main Street that's set to transform its skyline too. It's another sign this investment wave is happening across the whole state, and Greenville is right in the middle of it.

Even City Hall in downtown Greenville is getting an upgrade. The city approved plans this year to expand the building toward Main Street and add a new entrance with a coffee shop. When a city is investing in public buildings at the same time private developers are pouring in money, that's a very good sign for the future.

There's also talk of more development around Camperdown in the West End, where Falls Tower already changed the skyline. What's coming is a new conference district, a private-public partnership that will cost around $500 million to complete, that would host corporate and professional conferences. The next phase isn't finalized yet, but it's another sign that this part of downtown keeps growing.

Right at the entrance to downtown Greenville, there's a plan to turn the area around Bon Secours Wellness Arena into a full entertainment district, with an amphitheater with room for about 6,500 to 7,000 people. It'll host concerts, festivals, and community events, and construction could get started soon. The arena already brings people downtown for Greenville Swamp Rabbits games and headliner concerts. This would make the area an entertainment destination all year long.

Next up is GE Vernova Park at BridgeWay Station in Mauldin. It opened this summer with a sold-out crowd watching the Greenville Triumph. Once it's fully complete next year, it'll hold more than 6,000 people, and it's not just for soccer. It'll host concerts, festivals, and community events throughout the year. Mauldin has always been one of the Upstate's most popular suburbs, and now it's got a major attraction right in its backyard. That's great news for nearby homeowners.

Then there's Trueline GVL, a new live music venue coming to the West End. One of the co-founders of House of Blues is behind the project. The main venue will hold around 1,700 people and is expected to open later this year.

Finally, Greer is building a nearly $69 million sports and events center with basketball courts, volleyball courts, an indoor track, and space for major tournaments. Greer is right by the GSP airport, so it's easy for families to get there, and every tournament brings visitors who stay in hotels, eat at local restaurants, and shop nearby. That's good for local businesses, and it's another reason more buyers are paying attention to the Upstate.

A stronger, growing statewide economy supports home values and keeps our market moving. The aerospace jobs landing in Charleston, like the Boeing expansion, bring in buyers who tend to shop in higher price ranges, which widens the buyer pool for sellers there. Walkable projects like County Square are exactly what a lot of buyers over 50 are looking for. New entertainment districts and venues near Mauldin, downtown Greenville, and the West End are good news for nearby homeowners, and the tournaments and visitors they bring support local businesses, which keeps drawing more attention to the Upstate as a place to live.

How much is South Carolina spending on roads right now?

Roughly $20 billion in road investment is underway or planned across the state, including the Carolina Crossroads rebuild in Columbia, an I-526/I-26 interchange project in Charleston, an $825 million I-95 widening in Jasper County, and a new corridor study on I-85 here in the Upstate.

What is Carolina Crossroads, and why does it matter for Upstate drivers?

It's the multi-billion dollar project rebuilding the "Malfunction Junction" interchange in Columbia, where three interstates meet. It's in its final phases now after years of work, so if you have family in Columbia or make trips to Charleston, that drive is about to get easier.

What billion-dollar tech and industrial projects are coming to the Upstate?

Spartanburg County is getting a $2.8 billion high performance computing center from NorthMark Strategies, and Gaffney is getting a $2.1 billion, four-building data center campus from a company called Cielo. Charleston is also getting a $1 billion Boeing expansion at its 787 Dreamliner campus.

Is the Santee casino resort actually happening?

Not yet. It's a proposed $1 billion casino resort off I-95, but nothing has been approved and construction hasn't started.

How far is the Kings Mountain casino from Greenville?

The $1 billion Two Kings Casino Resort is about an hour and 15 minutes from downtown Greenville, just over the North Carolina line. The first phase opened this spring, and the full resort with the hotel, restaurants, and casino is expected next year.

What's happening on the old Memorial Auditorium site in Greenville?

Crews are building a 29-story residential tower that would become the tallest building in South Carolina, with hundreds of apartments, over 100 jobs, ground floor shops, and a public art gallery and plaza, expected to finish in the next couple of years. I haven't heard anything recently on this one, so it's worth confirming current status before you count on a timeline.

What new entertainment venues are coming near Greenville?

A few are in the works: an amphitheater district around Bon Secours Wellness Arena for about 6,500 to 7,000 people, GE Vernova Park in Mauldin (already partially open, fully complete next year with room for more than 6,000), and Trueline GVL, a roughly 1,700-person live music venue in the West End expected to open later this year.

When you step back and look at everything happening across the state, it's easy to see why so many people are choosing this place to call home.

If you're thinking about selling while all this growth is happening, or buying before prices move higher, email me at [email protected], or call or text at (864) 688-9738. My team and I will help you put together a plan that fits your goals.

And if you're thinking about buying in Greenville, I've linked a video for you that breaks down seven types of homes that can cost buyers big money, from uninsurable roofs to flood risk and red clay foundation problems.

As always, I'm Will Sawyer, your friend in real estate. Until next time, stay safe.