Group to rally against I-526 extension while others back it
Although the latest traffic projections show that some roads would benefit
from extending the Mark Clark Expressway, some opponents question if those
improvements are substantial enough to warrant the $420 million project.
The Concerned Citizens of the Sea Islands argues that they're not. The
citizens group is rallying Monday against the planned I-526 extension into
rural Johns Island.
Megan Desrosiers of the Coastal Conservation League, one of the groups
participating with Concerned Citizens efforts, said she had been told the
beltway would help alleviate congestion in West Ashley and on Johns Island.
"I wanted to know if that's true," she said.
After reviewing computer-generated traffic maps from the
Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, Desrosiers said the
models paint a bleak picture for the future - even with the Mark Clark
extension.
COG developed the maps to project the level of traffic on local roads in
2010, 2020 and 2030. The models take into account existing roads and
federally funded committed road projects to come.
They do not, however, show upcoming transportation projects funded by
half-percent sales tax money, said Dan Hatley, a COG planner. Hatley said
they are planning to update the models with those projects.
Hatley stressed that the models are computer simulations of traffic and
therefore do not project population growth. They simply show what traffic
will do with or without the Mark Clark extension, he said.
In 2010, projections suggest the Mark Clark would contribute to less traffic
flow - than if it wasn't built - on Main Road up to Bees Ferry Road, on Bees
Ferry Road, along the Glenn McConnell Parkway, and on a stretch of Savannah
Highway running from about Wappoo Road to Magnolia Street.
However, by 2030 with the Mark Clark built, traffic conditions are projected
to be worse on Johns Island from where I-526 is expected to intersect with
Maybank Highway and then from Maybank down River Road. It also appears that
some of the congestion on Main Road shifts down to Bohicket Road. And Ashley
River Road and Savannah Highway still show failing traffic conditions.
Hatley said it's hard to definitively conclude whether completing the Mark
Clark would be beneficial.
"From what we've done so far, there are links that are improved, and there
are links where there's more traffic," he said. "Remember, we're looking at
2030, so there would be more traffic anyway. I'm not trying to make a case
for either side."
Desrosiers said traffic models indicate building the extension probably will
help some areas, but "it's not really worth $420 million given the small
improvements."
The state infrastructure bank has awarded Charleston County $99 million for
the completion, though none of that money has been spent.
County Councilwoman Colleen Condon said she doesn't think council will
change its commitment to the project but said she hopes they will discuss it
in more depth.
"I just want to make sure we're actually getting what we think we want to
pay for," she said.
Condon said she isn't convinced the Mark Clark will help Johns Island or
West Ashley residents. She said more consideration is needed about how
drivers will get on and off the Mark Clark.
"Are we really helping the community overall? And are we helping Johns
Island folks, or are they going to hit that bottleneck and spend so long on
there they're going to get off the Mark Clark and take the back roads to get
home anyway?" Condon asked.
County Council is slated to discuss the issue at its March 1 finance
committee meeting.
Chairman Tim Scott said he hopes that meeting will yield clarity and a sense
of urgency to further develop and plan for the Mark Clark. The road presents
a vital evacuation route and the county should move forward with it, he
said.
"There is no question we need to be sensitive to the growth concern, but at
the end of the day, the Mark Clark is a necessity," he said.
If you go
WHO: Concerned Citizens of the Sea Islands.
WHAT: Rally against the extension of the Mark Clark Expressway through Johns
and James islands.
WHEN: 7 p. m. Monday.
WHERE: St. John's High School gym, 1518 Main Road, Johns Island.
FOR DETAILS: Visit www.no526.com to learn more.
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