From Mark Clark to new bike lanes, here are the road projects Charleston County wants done (2024)

Charleston County Council decided which roads it wants to join the Mark Clark Expressway Extension for the third half-cent transportation sales tax during its June 4 meeting.

The county is proposing to extend the tax on the Nov. 5 ballot to raise $5.4 billion. If voters agree to keep the tax in place, the funds will go toward infrastructure projects.

From the more than 20 projects listed that could be funded by income generated from an extended half-cent tax, Charleston County has now selected 13 of those to go on the ballot.The Mark Clark was the only one labeled as a priority project and is expected to cost $1.8 billion —more than a third of the money allotted and more than the other 13 proposed projects combined.

With millions going to debt service and interest, CARTA operations, the county’s greenbelt program and otherneeds carried over from prior referendum projects, only about $812 million would remain for any new projects other than the Mark Clark. The 13 projects voted on by County Council earlier this week carry a price tag of over $1 billion, which means these projects will have to rely on additional sources of funding, likely at the expense of the federal government.

County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt said at the June 4 meeting that some of the projects are scalable, and once road projects are "shovel ready," they can qualify for federal funding.

"Every (large) project we have right now, we have a large federal funding element," Honeycutt said. "They would have available federal funding at some point in the future, and we don’t want to be left with extra money. We want to make sure we have enough projects on this list to cover all of the things we may collect over 25 years."

In a May 28 letter to County Council Chairman Herb Sass, Charleston Mayor William Cogswell listed 10 projects that are priorities for the city. All but three ultimately made the county's list.

“Mayor Cogswell is prioritizing projects that will improve the quality of life of city residents,” said city spokeswoman Deja Knight McMillan. “He is committed to fighting for our fair share of infrastructure spending. By advocating for critical city projects, the mayor is upholding his promise to put residents first."

Cogswell prioritized widening main thoroughfares he said are "frequently overburdened by our recent boom in growth" on Johns and James Islands and West Ashley, according to the letter.

Notably absent from his list was the Mark Clark project. Because the extension is the only project certain to make the ballot, Cogswell’s staff said he left it off in order to advocate for as much of the money left over from what's earmarked for the Mark Clark and other uses.

"The mayor has always supported Mark Clark," said Logan McVey, the mayor’s chief policy officer, in an email to The Post and Courier on June 6. "The letter last week was about the (roughly $812) million in new projects and our priorities there."

On Dec. 1, 2023, just days after winning the runoff election, then Mayor-elect Cogswell sent a letter to state Rep. Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, voicing his support "on a matter of importance not just to Charleston but our region as a whole— the Mark Clark Extension."

"I am in support and urge the state to continue funding its commitment to this important project," Cogswell wrote.

The Mark Clark is expected to cost $2.2 billion, with the county paying all but the $420 million the state has agreed to cover.

The list of projects can be amended up to the third reading, but here are the projects the county has selected to go on the referendum so far.

Johns Island

• Extending the Mark Clark Expressway from its junction with US-17 in West Ashley onto Johns and James Island where it will join the James Island Connector at Folly Road. Cost: $1.8 billion.
• Additional lanes to Maybank Highway (SC-700) between River Road and the Stono River Bridge along with a multiuse path or sidewalk/bike lane combination. Cost: $51.55 million.
• Additional lanes to Maybank Highway (SC-700) between Bohicket Road and River Road along with a multiuse path or sidewalk/bike lane combination. Cost: $126 million.

James Island

• Adding bike lanes and sidewalks along Folly Road (SC-171) between George Griffith Boulevard and Sol Legare Road, and sidewalks along Sol Legare Road from Folly Road to the boat landing. Cost: $30.5 million.

Mount Pleasant

• Flood mitigation and improvements along Long Point Road (S-97) from Whipple Road to US-17 to reduce road closures during heavy rains and high tides. Cost: $126 million.

• Realignment of Darrell Creek Trail to intersect with Lieben Road, as well as the connection of Darrell Creek Trail to Tupelo Forest neighborhood. Cost: $46 million.

North Charleston

• Sidewalk/multiuse path construction within one-half mile of the Lowcountry Rapid Transit stations along Rivers Avenue corridor between Medical Plaza Drive and Hackemann Avenue. Cost: $142 million.
• Construction of a standalone bridge alongside the North Bridge to connect bike/pedestrian pathwayson Sam Rittenberg Boulevard to Azalea Drive. Cost: $83 million.
• Multiuse path or sidewalk/bike lane combination along Mall Drive (SC-790) between Lacross Road and Rivers Avenue. Cost: $72 million.

West Ashley

• Widening and intersection improvements along Savannah Highway (US-17) between Dobbin Road and Main Road in West Ashley. Cost: $174 million.
• Additional lanes to Ashley River Road (SC-61) from Bees Ferry Road to Old Parsonage Road, including new bridges over Church Creek and the CSX rail line, with multiuse path or sidewalk/bike lane combination. Cost: $102 million.
• Flood mitigation and improvements to the US-17/SC-61 off-ramp to reduce road closures during heavy rains and high tides. Cost: $36.5 million.
• Constructing an overpass for eastbound traffic on Glenn McConnell Parkway (SC-461) at the intersection with Magwood Drive. Cost: $194 million.