Frequently Asked Questions

Are there plans to extend a four lane expressway from SC 30 across James and Johns Island, perhaps following River Road to Bohicket Creek Road (Betsy Kerrison)?

How is this project being funded?

How do I add my name to the email information distribution list?

What is the status of consultation under Section 106 of the NHPA?

How can I comment on the project?

Will traffic issues and safety issues associated with Johns Island and James Island be addressed in a comprehensive way?

Yes; As part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), a comprehensive traffic analysis will be conducted using the BCDCOG travel demand model as the basis. This model will be updated using the most recently updated land use plans, including the Johns Island Plan by the City of Charleston and the recently updated Comprehensive Plan for Charleston County. All recently completed transportation improvement projects in this study will be incorporated as well. This includes work conducted within the City of Charleston, Town of James Island and Charleston County. This traffic analysis will be both a regional traffic analysis as well as a detailed traffic engineering exercise at and near proposed interchanges.

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How is the city going to address traffic on Johns Island roads (Bohicket, Main, Maybank and River Roads)?

For projects within the City of Charleston, please contact the City office of Traffic & Transportation at (843) 720-1993. For traffic issues outside of the City limits and projects being conducted by Charleston County, please refer to the website for Charleston County RoadWise. All adopted land use plans and committed transportation projects will be incorporated into the traffic analysis for the I-526 EIS.

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Will the Mark Clark Extension provide a long-term solution or just move congestion around?

It is the goal of all transportation projects to improve mobility. In the case of the proposed I-526, the level of improvement provided by the proposed facility will be evaluated as part of the EIS. The traffic analysis will be conducted to a forecast year of 2035 for the evaluation of the performance of the project.

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Will the “The New Way To Work” alternative be considered in the EIS?

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires alternatives to be considered in the EIS. The alternatives to be evaluated in the I-526 Mark Clark Expressway EIS are expected to include: (1) No-build; (2) Transportation System Management (TSM); (3) alternative modes of transportation and (4) build alternatives including upgrades to existing roads and one or more new location alternatives. The alternatives to be investigated in the EIS will be developed with input from agencies and the public during the initial coordination/scoping period and subsequent agency and public involvement opportunities.

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Is there a map available that shows the projected path of the extended I-526 alignment?

The EIS process has just begun for this project, therefore no alignments or proposed routes for the I-526 extension have been created. Consequently, there are no maps online of the projected path of the road extension. As alignments are developed and studied, a range of alternatives will be presented to the public for public feedback. Once these alignments are available, they will be shown at a public information meeting and online at this website in the maps and photographs section (link here).

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What is the predicted path the new road will take?

The completion of I-526 is proposed to be a new roadway between its current endpoint at US 17 (Savannah Highway) and the James Island Expressway Interchange at Folly Road. One interchange is proposed on Maybank Highway. Because the EIS process for this project has just begun, there are no alignments or proposed routes at this time.

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When and where is the next I-526 Scoping Meeting?

Only one Public Scoping Meeting was scheduled to be held for this project. All information that was available at the scoping meeting is on the project website. Comments can be submitted via the website. The next meeting for the project will be a Public Information Meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Fall 2008. At this meeting, the project Purpose and Need and the range of alternatives will be available for public comment. When the Public Information Meeting date is firmly established, notice of the meeting time and place will be distributed.

Postcards will be mailed to all the residents in the study area with notification of the date and time of the Public Information Meeting. In addition, email or mail notification will be sent to those who have asked be on the project distribution list. Information about the Public Information Meeting will also be highlighted on the project website.

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How will the new road impact neighborhoods in its path?

SCDOT will develop the EIS, a process that will include the evaluation of alternatives and comparison of impacts on both the natural and human environment. All impacts to both the natural and human environment will be minimized to the extent possible. Because of the early stages of the project, specific community and neighborhood impacts have not been identified at this time. A detailed Community Impact Assessment will be conducted in relation to the reasonable alternatives that will be identified by the SCDOT project team. The results showing both the benefits and impacts to nearby neighborhoods and communities will be included in the EIS.

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Is there any additional information available? Where can I get more information about the project?

As the project is developed, SCDOT will continue to update the website with information about the project. Public information meetings throughout the project will be held within or adjacent to the project area to present new information as it is identified and to provide the public opportunity to comment on the project. Newsletters will also be distributed throughout the project as new information becomes available. Newsletters will be distributed through email or mail and will be sent to those who have asked be on the project distribution list. Newsletter content will also be highlighted on the project website.

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Are there plans to extend a four lane expressway from SC 30 across James and Johns Island, perhaps following River Road to Bohicket Creek Road (Betsy Kerrison)?

Please see the Charleston County Roadwise website for more information about this project.

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How is this project being funded?

In November 2004, the voters of Charleston County approved a half-cent sales tax for transportation, public transportation and greenbelt projects in the county. To complete the plan for Mark Clark Expressway, Charleston County officials used these sales tax transportation projects as a local match to apply for funding from the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank (SIB) in 2006. Upon review of the application and the availability of matching funds, the SIB committed to fund the project.

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How do I add my name to the email information distribution list?

To add your contact information to the email distribution list, please send us a comment via the contact form. Now all you need to do is click the check box labeled “please add me to the distribution list” when submitting a comment.

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What is the status of consultation under Section 106 of the NHPA?

The Section 106 review and compliance for the Mark Clark Expressway Extension begins with SCDOT coordinating with the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SC SHPO) and conducting public meetings. In addition to consultation with SHPO, SCDOT will coordinate with all local, state, and federal agencies, and the public throughout the length of the environmental review process. The coordination and involvement initiatives for this project began with a public scoping meeting held April 10, 2008 and an agency scoping meeting held April 29, 2008.

The SCDOT project team will identify natural and human resources within the study area prior to the production of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement which is scheduled to be released in late 2009.

For further information regarding agency coordination and public involvement, please click here to view the Draft Agency Coordination and Public Involvement Plan.

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How can I comment on the project?

Informal public information meetings will be held periodically throughout the length of the project. These meetings will be advertised in newspapers and mail notifications. After each meeting there will be a 15-day comment period on the project.

Formal Public Hearings will be held upon completion of the Draft EIS and Final EIS. There will be a 45-day comment period, at the time of the public hearings, during which the public may submit comments to SCDOT and FHWA concerning the Draft EIS.

Use the contact form to submit comments about the project.

Hotline: 1-888-MCE-I526
The project hotline will include a recorded message that will provide information on upcoming project events, a brief project status and other contact information. When you call, you may leave a project-related message that will be incorporated into the project file.

Contact Information:
David A. Kinard, P.E.
SCDOT Project Manager
P.O. Box 191
Columbia, SC 29202-0191

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