MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - Mount Pleasant officials are making progress on a project that will alleviate some congestion on Highway 17 and provide more connectivity and safety to those who frequent the area.
The All-American Boulevard extension project is getting close to completion. Project leaders are currently finishing the installation of a stormwater drainage system that includes over 3,000 feet of concrete pipe.
They are also working on installing an eight to 10 foot wide shared use path that will add to the Mount Pleasant Way network. This shared use path will include landscaping and streetlights along its entire length as well as separate bike lanes from its intersection with George Browder Boulevard to Park West Boulevard.
Once completed, this project will create a two-lane road that will run from Lexington Drive all the way to Park West Boulevard, providing drivers with an alternative route to avoid using US-17.
“I think with the completion of this project, you’ll see a reduction in traffic on 17 through the limits of this project from Park West to Lexington. You’ll also see some improved mobility as far as the installation of the shared use path from the Mount Pleasant Way, connecting residential to commercial zones as well as existing paths along Park West Boulevard,” Deputy Director of the Mount Pleasant Capital Projects and Transportation Department James Aton says. “So I think you’ll see a lot of better interconnectivity, reduction in traffic and congestion and improved nonmotorized mobility.”
Aton says that this project will provide several benefits, including increased accessibility to first responders when needed. This project is all about creating a functional, safe and interconnected community by connecting neighborhoods and businesses.
“It’s really to provide that transportation redundancy, options for travel [and] reduce congestion on 17 through this section and provide better EMS, police, and fire response in the event of an incident,” Aton says.
Erin Rauton is the office manager of Solomon Family Dentistry, a business on All-American Boulevard. Rauton says they frequently see patients arriving late to their appointments because of the traffic on US-17, so she really hopes this project will help resolve some of that.
“I feel that this will increase the patient’s ability to get here in a timely fashion. Sometimes they’re dealing with traffic on Highway 17, which can be stressful and then running late to an appointment could also be stressful. So, I think it’ll help counteract some of the traffic patients have to experience to get here,” she says.
She says she is excited for this project to be completed as she believes it will not only help the traffic but will also help keep nonmotorized road users safe.
“This project will help accessibility to our office for our patients who live nearby to avoid 17 and also increase walkability so people can ride bikes and walk without having to be on the Highway 17,” Rauton says.
The cost of this project is a little over $3.5 million and is funded through the Town’s Capital Improvement Plan. The contract also includes the installation of a new water main, which is not included in that cost; however, Mount Pleasant Water Works will fully fund that portion of the project.
While they have been working since July 2024, it may not look like much yet because most of the work is being done under the surface. This includes installing the stormwater drainage systems, relocating utilities, stabilizing underlying materials and compacting them.
Now that they are finishing up the drainage system installation, progress will quickly start to become visible, as they will soon begin paving the roadway and constructing the shared-use path. Those steps in addition to the landscaping and street light installation are really the only main construction efforts that remain.
Project leaders anticipate having this project fully completed by August.
The roadway was named All American to honor Mount Pleasant citizens who gave their life in the War on Terror in the early 2000s. When the roadway name was adopted, those specifically being honored were:
Maj. Edward J. Murphy, Operation Enduring Freedom, Ghazni, Afghanistan, April 6, 2005
Capt. Richard G. Cliff Jr., Operation Enduring Freedom, Yakhchal, Afghanistan, Sept. 29, 2008
Sgt. Adam M. Wenger, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Tunnis, Iraq, Nov. 5, 2008.
Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.