While the Mark Clark Extension project remains uncertain and mostly unfunded, multiple Johns Island road projects estimated to cost hundreds of millions continue to slowly move forward.
Some road projects have faced delays, frustrating residents of Johns Island where the population doubled from 2010 to 2020 and traffic is a large concern. One project known as the Northern Pitchfork is underway and could be finished a month earlier than expected.
“It actually might be done in January,” said Devri Detoma, Charleston County’s transportation engineering manager.
The Northern Pitchfork is a small road connection aimed at letting island-bound traffic on Maybank Highway avoid the congested intersection at River Road for those who would be turning right. The new connection would send some traffic to a new intersection on River Road above Maybank Highway.
John Zlogar, co-founder of the group Rational Roads for Johns Island, said the new connection should help at least temporarily.
“The problem is, there are going to be hundreds of new apartments right around there,” he said. “Build the roads and they will come.”
There are just two ways on and off that service Johns Island and the communities beyond — Kiawah, Seabrook and Wadmalaw islands and the town of Rockville. Traffic backups during busy times of day or whenever there’s an accident are a source of ongoing frustration on the islands.
A $2.2 billion plan to extend the Mark Clark Expressway across the island, from West Ashley to James Island, could soon move into the permitting phase. Most of the funding remains uncertain, however, and could depend on a 2024 vote on extending the countywide added sales tax.
Charleston County has been working on projects to ease the jams at Maybank Highway and River Road, and at Main Road and U.S. Highway 17 — the intersections at the two bridges crossing the Stono River. And there are plans to ease traffic and improve safety on existing roads on Johns Island.
NORTH CHARLESTON — To continue efforts to become the Coast Guard’s “operational center of gravity” on the East Coast, officials broke ground Jan. 26 on its new $160 million campus.
This 64-acre site along the Cooper River — just south of the former naval base that closed in 1996 — will house an administration building and redesigned 1,100-foot concrete pier.
Construction is expected to begin later this year and be completed in 2026.
“This Charleston campus will have improved infrastructure that translates into more productive personnel and more efficient operations,” said Capt. Neal Armstrong, the commanding officer of facilities design and construction.
The 51,500-square-foot administration building will provide training and conference room space, and additional rooms dedicated to cutter ship support.
Sustainability is a priority, so the new facility will achieve net-zero energy usage and a net-zero carbon footprint, Armstrong said.
The current Pier November will be replaced with a pier more than three feet taller to enhance durability during coastal storms. It will provide utilities to support five national security cutters and a 90-ton crane, which is critical for dockside maintenance, Armstrong said.
During the design and construction phases nearly 60 subcontractors will support the two main contractors on the project, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and RQ Construction LLC, providing work for nearly 900 people.
Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, said every Coast Guard mission begins and ends at a shore facility. When the ships are not at sea, they need a base that can provide necessary maintenance, she added.
The missions conducted at Base Charleston are vital to protecting national security and economic prosperity, Fagan said, adding that the new campus will aid in “lifesaving work,” including patrolling the waters for smuggled narcotics.
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