Making sense of 526

It’s no surprise that there are a lot of questions about the alternatives for the Interstate 526 extension. On paper - even well-presented, full color, extensively detailed paper like the SCDOT Project Update booklet mailed to tri-country residents a couple months ago - the nine remaining alternatives are still difficult to compare. Because of these questions, Kiawah Property Owners Group (KPOG) held a meeting this past Wednesday, July 15, with SCDOT project manager David Kinard, Karen Hadley from consultants Wilbur & Smith and Dr. Richard Darden, an SCDOT liaison from the Corp of Engineers, all of whom took a moment to speak with concerned residents about the details of each of the remaining nine options. After explaining the reasons behind the eliminations for 29 of the original proposed alignments (”Natural breaks, such as 800 relocations versus one relocation, were considered natural reasons to eliminate one of two similar alternatives,” said Kinard.), David Kinard delved into the differences between the six “build” alternatives and three “no build” alternatives. Three “no build” alternatives: No Build alternative: “All of the alternatives were compared to the ‘no build’ option,” said Kinard. “No Build basically means that we don’t do anything and leave it as it is.” Alternative 25, Mass Transit: Mass Transit involves the increase/addition of bus routes, light rail, etc, in order to increase/enhance traffic mobility. Transportation System Management: This option involves fixing what’s already in place with the addition of turn lanes, selective widening, the addition of red lights, etc. in order to increase mobility and improve the existing system. Six “build” alternatives: Alternative 1: This alternative crosses the Stono and passes over Maybank above the River Road intersection and goes through James Island by passing just south of the County Park and over a portion of the top section of the Dill Sanctuary, a 580 acre wildlife sanctuary owned by the Charleston Museum. It ends at the James Island Connector. Alternative 8: Crosses the Stono and drops just below the River Road intersection in the vicinity of Pineland Drive, then follows the same route as Alternative 1 through James Island. Alternative 10: Follows the same initial route across Johns as Alternative 1, but passes to the north of the James Island County Park and just below the Woodland Shores community, crossing Riley Road and ending at the James Island Connector. Alternative 11: This alternative follows the original 1995 alignment and allows for two interchanges. The main extension passes above River Road and the interchanges are to the north and south of Maybank, connecting with River Road to avoid congestion and to disperse traffic. The northern interchange connects to River Road in the vicinity of Murraywood and Jessy Elizabeth Roads, while the southern interchange connects to River Road in the vicinity of Seven Oaks Lane. The northern interchange continues past its juncture with River and connects to Maybank in the vicinity of Sailfish and Hickory Knoll. The James Island portion passes through the northern most section of James Island County Park and connects to the James Island Connector. Alternative 11a: The same as Alternative 11, except the southern River Road interchange is eliminated. Alternative 36: Derived from the “parkway” concept, this alternative features an interchange on River Road to the north of Maybank in the vicinity of Rushland Landing, and an at-grade intersection on River Road to the south of Maybank, passing through the vicinity of the Kerr property. The main extension passes above River Road and the James Island portion passes south of Woodland Shores and through the vicinity of Lucky Road, finally connecting with the James Island Connector. Frequently asked questions: Why couldn’t we complete the extension with all of the permits received in 1995? The environmental document was never signed and completed in 1995, so the only official Environmental Impact Statement of the 526 extension is from 1972 and that needs to be updated. How long does the Environmental Impact Study take? Between 30 and 36 months. It began in 2008 and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2010. What is the purpose of the 526 project? To increase the capacity of the regional transportation system, improve safety and enhance mobility to and from the West Ashley, Johns Island and James Island areas of Charleston, SC. If everything goes smoothly, the money is available and all the permits are signed, how long will it take to build the extension? It depends on what alternative is chosen, but roughly three years. Are the funds available? Right now, the State Infrastructure Bank has $99 million set aside for the Environmental Impact Study, right of way and engineering. They are then committed to fund the remainder of the project with the funds that are available at the time. To what extent do you look at safety on the roads? Safety is a hard thing to nail down and model. The way we look at it, if we reduce congestion that increases safety. None of the alternatives have been eliminated because of safety because any improvement would help congestion. Have any of the alternatives taken the Johns Island Greenway into account? No, because the plan is not on the books and is not yet considered a long range plan. From an engineering standpoint, though, we could potentially tie it into one of the alternatives, but that would be up to the project sponsor. For more information and maps of all remaining alternatives, please visit www.scdot.org/I526, or you can reach David Kinard at (803) 737-1963 or email kinardDA@scdot.org.

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