Category: Traffic

Road and Traffic Update

The closure of Bohicket Road near its intersection with River Road, coupled with continuing closures at Main Road and Route 17, continues to cause difficulty in circulating and moving on and off Johns Island. Bohicket Road is closed until October 16th due to risk of pavement failure, and flooding at Main and Rte 17 is allowing the road to be opened to traffic only periodically during periods of low tide.

This means that, during substantial parts of the day, the only way on and off Johns Island is over the Stono Bridge. The intersection of Maybank and River Road–already a bottleneck during good weather–has only worsened during this period.  We received a report that this morning, traffic bound for the Stono Bridge on Maybank was backed up nearly to Bohicket & Main.

This bottleneck also makes traffic on River Road at Maybank back up. There is still some minor standing water on River Road at the intersection with Plowground. If business takes you closer to Main/Bohicket and not off the Island, a viable alternative is to take River Road to Edenvale Road, and then cut back over to Bohicket. This allows a driver to bypass the Maybank/River Road intersection.

Today, authorities opened Main at Route 17 for a few hours this afternoon to allow traffic to turn onto Main from the highway and cross the Waterway onto Johns Island. This occurred at low tide. The same may happen tomorrow, but the flow may be reversed. Readers are encouraged to monitor news sources for particulars.

On the Island, the intersection of Seabrook Island Road at Little Creek/Baywood continues to experience standing water at high tide. The road is passable under these conditions.

—Tidelines Staff

 

 

 

Flood Update

Standing water in some of the roads decreased earlier in the day but, as of 2:30 p.m. the rain and high tide has caused water levels to rise again on Seabrook Island Rd by the Lake House and Gate and most likely in other areas.  The following travel advisory from the Fire Dept. is still in effect:

AVOID DRIVING. IF YOU MUST DRIVE, DO NOT ENTER WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH.

Submitted by Tidelines Staff

SJFD Chief: Avoid Driving!

St. Johns Fire Chief Colleen Walz has emphasized the need for people to stay in their homes. Calls have been received from people who get stranded with vehicles stalled in deep water. Understand that SJFD must allocate its resources according to its assessment of received calls. As we are being spared from the worst flooding, we are responsible for avoiding unnecessary risks that could add to the extraordinary demands on first responders. AVOID DRIVING. IF YOU MUST DRIVE, DO NOT ENTER WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH.

Submitted by John Gregg

More on Road Conditions

Dennis Pescitelli wrote in that as of approximately 5 PM:

Seabrook Island Road is closed between Baywood and the Lake House; it is open at the loop intersection with itself.

Royal Pine is closed at both Old Forest and Old Oak Walk. Old Oak Walk is open at Royal Pine.

There are still sections of standing water on Cap’n Sams.

The Haulover and High Hammock are clear.

This report reflects an ebbing tide and a break in the rain.  Conditions could worsen again depending on either factor.

Again, this is not an official report, but one we feel you should be updated on.

Submitted by Tidelines Editors

 

Road Conditions

Ty Headley reported at 5:30 pm  that you can use the north loop of Seabrook Island Road to exit the island with no problem. The road to Freshfields is now manageable, some standing water around Bohicket entrance but not a hazard.

Tidelines has not received official confirmation of this, but we want to let you know what other Seabrookers are observing.

Submitted by Tidelines Editors

Information on Road Blockage

Al Ivester returned from Freshfields to Seabrook Island at 2 pm. He reports that there was about two feet of water on the road near the entrance to Bohicket but the road is passable in a SUV or truck.

He also has informed us about a tree down approximately five miles north of Seabrook.  It has blocked the road since 11:30 this morning. He was able to detour around to Maybank via River Rd.

Tidelines has not received official notification of this, but is posting it for your information.

Submitted by Tidelines Editor

Berkeley Electric Issues Warning

Jody Turner, Town Councilman, sent in the following comment.  We felt it was so important that in addition to seeing this warning in Comments, we would post his statement.

“Berkeley Electric also wants to warn people to be careful around transformers–those green boxes along the roads. If standing water is close to one, DO NOT WALK IN IT. There are safeguards, but there is still a chance of electrical current in the water.”

Even in this weather, pets have to be walked, so please be cautious.

 

Submitted by Tidelines Editors

Update on Storm & Flooding

A few updates on weather related problems.

A Seabrook resident has reported that the parkway to Freshfields is not passable as of 11:00 this morning.  This is not an official announcement but an advisory to our readers.

The Seabrook Island Club has sent members an email telling them that they will be closing all operations today, Saturday, October 3.

As reported by the town, everyone is urged to remain at home and not attempt to travel local roads.

We would like to encourage you to comment on this post if you hear of any issues related to the current weather or road conditions.  This way, Seabrookers can keep up to date with these matters.

Thank you and stay dry!

Submitted by Tidelines Editors

Island Roads Passable But Standing Water Requires Caution

[NOTE: Property Owners should monitor their e-mail for notices from SIPOA and check with the Town’s web site for official information. Tidelines will be post information regarding conditions as they are encountered by staff, but these are not official pronouncements unless otherwise indicated. Our postings reflect conditions at the time noted; be aware that these can change.]

9::00 AM: A drive around the Island indicates that circulation is possible, but standing water at locations on Seabrook Island Road requires caution. Earlier this morning, Island Security was turning back traffic at Seabrook Island Road and Baywood. The section of SBIR between Baywood and Andell Way has standing water.

On the opposite loop of SBIR, there is standing water at the intersection of the maintenance shed area and in the area around the intersection of Cat Tail Pond. Royal Pine and the near vicinity of Old Forest also has standing water. All these roads are passable, but we advise traversing them slowly and, if possible, in vehicles with higher wheel bases.

The parkway to the traffic circle is OK, but water is building up in the ditches. Harris Teeter is open in Freshfields.

Conditions at some of these locations will likely worsen on either side of high tide, which will occur between 1:00 and 1:30 PM today.

We are posting this same information along with media bits in our story feed post near the top of this page. Use our story feed throughout this rain event for updates. We encourage our readers to provide additional information by commenting on this post, and sending photos or video to seabrookislandblog@gmail.com.

—Tidelines Staff