Charleston County Seeks Public Input on Mount Pleasant Road Projects
In an effort to promote community collaboration, Charleston County is hosting a public meeting inviting feedback on potential road projects in Mount Pleasant. The session will take place on Monday evening and it is the fourth of five meetings arranged to review projects across various municipalities within the county such as Johns Island, West Ashley, James Island, Mount Pleasant, and North Charleston.
Focus on Potential Projects
This upcoming session will spotlight five possible projects that could potentially be financed through the third transportation sales tax set to be voted on in November. As it is not feasible for all five endeavors to receive funding within each municipality, county officials are keen to understand which initiatives the public finds most significant. In particular, the projects encompass improvements to intersections, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and overall traffic congestion mitigation.
The designated projects for Mount Pleasant are as follows:
- Johnnie Dodds Corridor Improvements – $168 million estimated budget
- Mount Pleasant Way Bike/Pedestrian Improvements – $158 million estimated budget
- Long Point Road Corridor Improvements – $126 million estimated budget
- Darrell Creek Trail Realignment – $46 million estimated budget
- Chuck Dawley Boulevard & Coleman/Ben Sawyer Boulevard Intersection Improvements – $29.5 million estimated cost
Meeting Objective
The main aim of the meeting is to demonstrate the funds allocated during the first two rounds of the sales tax and to project the potential spending if the third round is approved. The revenue also caters to CARTA, rapid transit, and the Greenbelt Program. If endorsed, the sales tax would allocate about $5.4 billion toward different road projects across the county inclusive of highways, streets, bridges, preservation of green spaces, and mass transit systems.
Voicing Out Community Needs
Howard Chapman, a Mount Pleasant Council member and a member of the town’s Transportation Committee, mentioned that the number one issue for Mount Pleasant is transportation, as per a conducted survey. He emphasized the importance of community input and thus, the need for their feedback on future projects. Chapman highlighted the seven additional projects amounting to over $54 million undertaken to improve roads in Mount Pleasant.
Importance of Collaboration
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Herbert Sass, Chairman of Charleston County Council, underscored the importance of the public’s feedback. He stated that the five projects were selected based on recommendations from each municipality and that they hope to finalize the projects to be considered after the conclusion of all five meetings. Sass further expressed the hope that the community would actively contribute their views during the meetings.
The expected meeting, open to all community members, will be held at Moultrie Middle School in Mount Pleasant from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in a drop-in style. County officials have asked attendees to park behind the school. Those unable to attend the meetings can still submit their feedback online until March 6th. The final meeting intended for North Charleston will take place on February 26th.
