On March 13, Charleston County Staff presented an update on the construction of the Main Road Corridor Segment A (aka Main and 17 Flyover) to the public. This meeting was the latest in several years of public engagement.
This project will provide significant traffic relief at the Main and US-17 intersection and along Main Road. As the contractor goes through the construction process, there will be times it will adversely impact traffic. That is true for any major construction project that reroutes an existing road. It’s a little bit like changing a tire as you are driving down the road.
Last year, a $25 million Construction Engineering & Inspection (CE&I) contract and a $354 million design-build contract were awarded for this project. When other engineering efforts and right-of-way acquisitions are factored in, the current cost is approximately $400 million.
The total projected funding for the project is $445M. This provides additional funding for contingency should construction or right-of-way acquisition costs exceed current estimates. It also provides potential funding for a bike/pedestrian accommodation on the existing Limehouse Bridge.
As shown in the graphic below, there are several key features of the design.
- Main Road will “flyover” US-17, i.e., there will be no direct connection between these two roads.
- There will be four single-lane ramps that will connect Main Road and US-17.
- These ramps will connect with Main Road at a new traffic signal, which will be located near Gilligan’s. Note that all the through-traffic on US-17, which SCDOT estimates to be about 30,000 vehicles per day, will not use this traffic signal.
- For several of the West Ashley developments along Main Road (between US-17 and the Stono River), left-hand turns will be accomplished by travelling under Main Road and then making a right-hand turn.
- The railroad bridge on US-17 will remain. The railroad bridge on Main Road will be replaced. This is a major undertaking due to the constraints imposed by CSX, the rail operator.
- There will be a roundabout at the Main-Chisolm-River intersection. It will have a “slip lane” from River Road to Main Road. Half of the roundabout will be two-lanes wide, the other half will be one-lane wide.
- Access to Limehouse Landing will be changed. Making a left-hand turn out of the landing would be accomplished by using River Road and the roundabout.
Concerns expressed by some residents at the meeting included:
- There were questions on how to get “from point A to point B”. We put this presentation together to help explain the flow of traffic. Also, you can view the County’s high-resolution graphic of Segment A here.
- Some thought major changes (e.g., a roundabout instead of the new traffic signal) could still be contemplated. Obviously, this is not the case since the contract has already been awarded.
- There were concerns about the lack of a left-hand turn lane from Main Road onto Old Pond Road. This is something the County should consider.
- There were concerns about access to/from Bolton’s Landing and to/from the neighborhoods in West Ashley along Main Road. The details of this should be further investigated by the County.
If you have any questions about the project, you can contact Hebert Nimz at hnimz@charlestoncounty.org.
The Main and 17 Flyover is finally happening. We look forward to the resulting traffic relief. We encourage the County and the contractor to complete it as quickly as possible.
About Rational Roads for Johns Island
Since our founding in November 2020, Rational Roads for Johns Island has advocated for much-needed transportation improvements that are sensitive to both our community and our environment. We also advocate that improvements in safety be a principal objective rather than to simply move vehicles through our community. Finally, we advocate for transportation improvements that are innovative and cost effective.
Contact us at RationalRoads@gmail.com. Visit our website at RationalRoads.org.
-Submitted by Rational Roads