Yellow Pages feature Congaree River
Contributed by Ferillo and Associates

The Congaree River and the Gervais Street Bridge adorn the new AT&T Real Yellow Pages. The photograph was taken by W. Thomas Smith, a former journalist for

The Congaree river, one of the three rivers that borders Cayce, Columbia and West Columbia is featured on the 2007- 08 edition of the AT& T Real Yellow Pages. The Gervais Street Bridge, also featured on the cover, links the Lexington and Richland side of the river and the Three Rivers Greenway.

The Three Rivers Greenway project, started in 1996 through the efforts of the nonprofit River Alliance partnership, is supported by the three cities noted above.

"The River Alliance as a public/private partnership has unlocked the potential of our three rivers. The public access to the region's rivers has provided both recreational benefit to thousands of residents and ever expanding economic growth," said Martha Scott Smith, State Director AT&T- S.C. Operations, and Secretary of the River Alliance.

Hundreds of area residents and visitors enjoy the recreational value of the rivers and their unique wildlife habitats daily. In an area once neglected and inaccessible, the Three Rivers Greenway now provides eight miles of park along its riverfront pathways complete with ranger patrols, scenic overlooks and emergency call boxes. Concerts, plays and community events add to the lively variety of activities regularly held at the park. All of the paths, including restroom facilities, are ADA handicapped accessible.

"The dream for the Three Rivers Greenway is to create a 14- mile linear park opening the rivers to all our citizens," says Mike Dawson director for the River Alliance. "The Three Rivers Greenway continues to strive to bring the rivers back into the daily lives of South Carolina residents."

"For more than a decade, the River Alliance has been working with the Midlands cities to create access to the region's rivers," said West Columbia Mayor Bobby Horton. "The success of the Three Rivers Greenway in our city has been overwhelming and has become an economic engine for residential development on the west bank of the Congaree. In the coming years we hope to extend the West Columbia portion up to the Lexington Medical Center from the Saluda River."