Downtown Winder Loses Its Underpass for Up to Six Weeks, Right as the Holiday Calendar Fills Up

"The Center Street drainage project is a generational issue," city engineer Gerard Brewer told MainStreet News when construction started. "[Flooding] has been a problem since the underpass was originally installed."

That generation of flooding is almost over. Before it ends, though, downtown Winder will spend up to six weeks without one of its main north-south routes. The North Center Street underpass closes to through traffic on Monday, October 19, 2026, for up to six weeks. That stretch covers Spooktacular and the Jug Tavern Park Tree Lighting, two of the busiest nights on the downtown calendar. The original plan had this phase finishing in winter, before any of those crowds arrived.

The Schedule That Was Supposed to Miss All This

When the $7.5 million Center Street Stormwater Outfall Project broke ground in May 2025, MainStreet News reported a phased plan that put the railroad crossing at North Center Street in January 2026. The full job was expected to wrap up around July 2026. January is about as quiet as downtown gets. No festivals were planned that month, and no parade routes or trick-or-treat lines had to work around a closed road.

The city's Center Street Project page now shows the work in the railroad right-of-way running from "Oct. 19–approximately Nov. 30." It lists December 2026 as the estimated completion date, subject to change.

The city hasn't publicly explained why the schedule moved, so this post won't guess. What matters to anyone heading downtown this fall is the calendar the closure now overlaps.

What's Closed and What Still Works

The closure covers North Center Street between West May Street and West Athens Street. All through traffic is barred except emergency vehicles, which will have a designated lane for the length of construction. The contractor, Summit Construction, expects the road to stay closed for up to six weeks. The city notes that the schedule depends on weather and the road could reopen sooner.

Businesses on the corridor stay open. The city spelled out how to reach each one:

• OZK Bank: on Center Street, reached from W. Athens Street
• Maxwell's: on Center Street, reached from W. Athens Street
• The pawn shop and ice cream shop at May and Center: reached from May Street

The city says there may be occasional brief driveway closures, coordinated with business owners. The city hasn't named a detour. Its notice asks drivers to use alternate routes and allow extra time. Electronic message boards will go up near the work zone ahead of the closure.

Posted work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, with no work on Sunday. The closure stays in place around the clock for the full window, even on Sundays when crews are off.

Pirate Cove Night, Four Days In

Spooktacular falls on Friday, October 23, the first weekend of the closure. This year the city is calling it "Winder's Pirate Cove," according to MainStreet News. The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Trick-or-treating through participating downtown locations goes from 5 to 7 p.m. There's also a live stage show at Jug Tavern Park, plus roaming characters, hayrides, costume contests, DJs, inflatables and food trucks. ESG and The Yummy Sweets are among the sponsors.

The trick-or-treat window starts two hours before the posted weekday work hours end. Families coming from north of the tracks should plan on driving around the closed underpass. Parking is free for all city events, and the city lists these lots on its festivals and events page:

1. The Jug Tavern lot closest to the Winder Community Center, 113 East Athens Street, where accessible parking is available
2. Behind the Cultural Arts Center, 105 East Athens Street
3. Behind Winder's Customer Service Center, 45 East Athens Street
4. The lot outside City Hall and the Police Department, 25 E. Midland Avenue
5. On Porter Street
6. Behind Fire Station No. 1, 96 N. Broad Street
7. Behind Smokin PO Boys BBQ, 36 W. Candler Street

Most of these lots sit along East Athens Street near Jug Tavern Park, which is also the end of the work zone where traffic is still allowed through to Center Street. The city's 2026 event parking map shows where each lot is.

Friday evenings may also have a second closure. In March, the city launched its Street Café program, which closes Jackson Street between E. Candler Street and E. Athens Street from 4 p.m. Friday until early Monday so participating businesses can use the street for outdoor dining. We couldn't confirm whether those weekend closures are still running this fall. Check the city's news page before counting on Jackson Street as a cut-through on Spooktacular night.

The Tree Lighting Lands Inside the Window, the Parade Just Outside It

Four weeks later, on Friday, November 20, the Tree Lighting takes over Jug Tavern Park at 139 E. Athens Street from 6 to 8 p.m. The tree lights at 6:30. After that come photos with Santa, free crafts and s'mores by the fire pits. The city's estimate puts the underpass reopening about ten days later, so the Tree Lighting will likely be the second big event night of the closure.

The 77th Annual Winder Christmas Parade & Santa's After Party is Saturday, December 12, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. After the parade there's a Holiday Market, music, food trucks and photos with Santa at Jug Tavern Park. If the weather holds and the road reopens around November 30, parade day should arrive with Center Street open again. Since the project's estimated completion is still December, some finishing work could still be going on nearby that month. Those dates come from the city's own "approximately" and "subject to change," so the parade timing is a projection, not a promise.

What a Few Weeks of Detours Buys Back

What Winder gets in return is easy to picture for anyone who has driven Center Street after a storm. "Every time we get significant rainfall amounts, the underpass floods and our Officers barricade off North Center Street to traffic to ensure the safety of the traveling public," Winder Police Capt. Rikki Banks told MainStreet News.

Center Street has been closing every time it rains hard. This closure has a set window. Brewer traced the flooding to "the occurrence and elevation of rock in the area, and the inability of the area to drain." That's why the plan called for limited blasting to clear rock, to be carried out under safety protocols and permits. American Rescue Plan Act money covers $6 million of the $7.5 million cost. Ward 4 Council Member Travis Singley said the city chose stormwater because ending flooding at a major intersection benefits everyone, while a water and sewer project would not.

This is also happening while downtown is changing in other ways. MainStreet News describes downtown as having seen "an influx of new businesses in older and renovated spaces." The Winder Downtown Development Authority is working with the city on a job description for a part-time executive director. At a recent DDA meeting, Finished Goods Brew Works on East Candler Street asked whether the authority would help pay for a playground at the neighboring Hal Jackson Park. DDA Chairman Brett Gamblin called the idea "worthy of consideration," though the authority made no commitment.

For updates during the closure, the city points people to its Center Street Project page and its social media accounts. City Civil Inspector Jeff Atha is listed as the contact for questions.

Questions about Winder come to me all year, from how a downtown project might affect nearby streets to what's changing around Jug Tavern Park. After 40 years in this part of Georgia, I'm always glad to talk them through. If you'd like a straight answer about your street, or you're curious what your home is worth this season, call Linda Maples or request a free home valuation.