Johns Islanders air views on solving traffic woes

JOHNS ISLAND — Considering the island's growing population and how properties here are constantly being rezoned for varied land uses, something should be done to ease worsening traffic conditions. What that something is is a toughy. Johns Islanders shared mixed thoughts at a public input session Tuesday night at St. John's High School on ways to solve the traffic problem. Some supported building a new cross-island road. Others adamantly condemned any street widenings that could detract from the island's rural character or harm the ancient oaks that arch over many roads. Barry Hart grew up on the island, and he said he favored two controversial plans — the Mark Clark Expressway extension and the Cross Island Parkway — because he hopes they would alleviate congestion from cars just passing through. Hart said the scenic, local roads should be left alone but that the only viable option is to build new ones. "The traffic is already here," he said. "It's not going to disappear." But lifelong resident and farmer Thomas Legare said any plans to build a cross-island expressway, which was originally proposed in 1995, aren't widely supported. He said some local roads need attention, namely the intersection at Main Road and U.S. Highway 17 and along Maybank Highway from the Stono River bridge to River Road. "We do not want to see this island divided and intersected with a road," Legare said. Zoning, development and population changes outdated a 2001 traffic study for the rural island, and the study needed to be revised, said Dan Moses of Charleston County RoadWise, which manages transportation projects funded by the half-cent sales tax. Charleston County Council has approved spending $75,000 for the update. Moses said comments from Tuesday's meeting will help them take a more comprehensive look at traffic on Johns Island. RoadWise will feed that information into the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments' digital traffic maps that project future conditions, and will come up with alternatives to address traffic concerns. No major road improvements are expected anytime soon, as no money is available, but the updated road plan could identify future opportunities for improving traffic flow. RoadWise and its study consultants, TranSystems, will host another public-input session in the coming months with hopes of completing the update early next year. Seabrook Island Mayor Frank McNulty said it is inevitable for something to be done. "There is no solution that will satisfy everyone," he said.

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