To the trains traveling overhead, the trestle over Charles Boulevard is just another rail-road crossing. To street-level pedestrians and drivers, the trestle -formerly an eyesore -bas become a clearly-marked gateway to Pirate country. East Carolina University commissioned a new paint job for the trestle as part of its 2007 centennial kickoff. “East Carolina University” appears in purple, flanked by pirates. Workers are finishing up a protective coating on the project. “Our centennial is just around the corner, and we wanted to basically show that you’re entering Pirate country and East Carolina University,” said Scott Buck, associate vice chancellor for business and finance at ECU. The university paid $35,500 to have its logos painted on the trestle, Buck said. · That work follows an earlier effort that whitewashed graffiti, chipped paint and rust. ECU and the BBL I V E R 5 I city of Greenville split the first painting project, with ECU paying about $33,000. The trestle was in poor shape before the improvements, Greenville Public Works Director Tom Tysinger said. “It was hot something that really did a very good job of ·welcoming people to Greenvilleor to ECU,” he said.The trestle reclamation was part of a $675,000 beautification project that also added sidewalks and landscaping alongCharles Boulevard. ECU, the city and the state Department of Transportation split the project’s cost, Tysinger said. ECU and the city benefit from working together on beautification work, Tysinger said. “I think that the city and university have to work hand in hand on projects just like this,” he said. “With DOT, we leverage our funds very well by working together. We get a much bigger bang for our punch here, our dollars.”
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