A New Way to Work: SELC Promotes Alternate Routes of Transportation
Reasonable Alternatives to Extending Charleston's I-526
©Bill Lea
In the Charleston area, the South Carolina Department of Transportation has proposed a seven-mile extension of Interstate 526—the Mark Clark Expressway—that would imperil wetlands, further impair the Stono River, fragment wildlife habitat, and open the rural community of Johns Island to intense development.
And at a time when SCDOT is facing one the worst funding crises in its history, the project would carry an estimated price tag of $420 million. Rising construction costs could push that figure past the $900 million mark.
SCDOT claims the extension is needed to meet anticipated traffic growth and to provide a hurricane evacuation route. Transportation experts believe, however, that the road would exacerbate rather than alleviate congestion problems due to the increased development it would usher in. The road is also likely to cut through James Island County Park, which has drawn more than 300,000 visitors since it opened in 1990.
Preparation of an environmental impact statement on the highway extension is now under way. As part of this process, SCDOT is required by federal law to consider all reasonable alternatives to the project. SELC, in coordination with the Coastal Conservation League, is urging SCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration to explore fully the options presented in "A New Way to Work" a plan developed by leading transportation experts showing that there are more efficient, less damaging, and far less costly ways to meet the area's traffic challenges.
At the root of local congestion problems is the lack of connectivity in the road system, which forces drivers in the community onto major highways to reach the places where they live, work, and shop. Improvements to the street network, which would cost less than half the estimated total for the four-lane interstate extension, would give local drivers more options for reaching their destinations. This would have the effect of redistributing the flow of cars and trucks and could relieve more than half the traffic on major roads. The result would be enhanced mobility and safety for vehicles traveling through these corridors.
Making it even more appealing, the "A New Way to Work" plan would provide a greater economic boost than the new highway. In the area west of the Ashley River, it would create accessible communities where local residents can walk, bike, or drive on side streets, and where there will be better connections to local businesses—much like downtown Charleston. The plan also calls for taking down highway flyovers that block out the marsh, bringing these roads to grade and opening up new waterfront greenspace possibilities for West Ashley.
