Infrastructure Priorities
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
INFRASTRUCTURE PRIORITIES INFRASTRUCTURE VISION COMMITTEE Released December 2018 Table o F Contents Infrastructure Policy Principles 1 Project Selection Criteria 2 ABOUT US 2 Priority Projects Map 3 ENHANCING MASS TRANSIT 5 • Lowcountry Rapid Transit New Road Construction 7 • Airport Connector Road • Mark Clark Expressway Completion • Berlin G. Myers Parkway Phase 3 • Sea Islands Greenway • College Park Road to Jedburg Road • Billy Swails Boulevard Extension • Glenn McConnell Parkway Extension Improving Existing Roads 10 • Hwy 17 / Main Road Interchange • I-526 Widening and 26/526 Interchange • Hwy 41 Corridor Improvement • Palmetto Commerce Interchange • Hwy 78 Widening • Palmetto Commerce Parkway Phase 3 • I-26 Widening and Improvements • Red Bank Road BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIONS 13 • Ashley River Non-Motorized Bridge EXPANDING Freight Capacity 15 • Charleston Harbor Deepening • Hugh K. Leatherman Port Terminal • Navy Base Intermodal Facility • Port Access Road STORM Water Management 18 • Crosstown Drainage Project • Church Creek Basin Infrastructure Policy Principles Infrastructure is essential to economic vitality. The Charleston Metro Region has enjoyed incredible economic success over the past decade, but our transportation capacity hasn’t kept up. To continue growing jobs and economic opportunity, we must enhance the capacity of our transportation network and make necessary investments in freight movement and storm water management. Infrastructure All modes o F enhances quality transportation o F life. are important to regional competitiveness. Enhancements to our infrastructure should Employers rely on roads and bridges to move protect our historic assets, minimize impact people and products. Businesses also rely on to the environment and help more citizens other modes of transportation including rail, access jobs and amenities while spending air service and shipping. Meanwhile, residents less time in traffic. Because of our strategic increasingly expect more options including location on the coast, the Charleston transit, walkability and bike enhancements. region must plan for resiliency of our Planners must take a holistic approach when transportation and infrastructure systems evaluating the region’s current and future in the face of natural disaster and persistent transportation needs and tie transportation flooding threats. planning with land-use planning. Continued need for all sources o F funding and financing. The infrastructure funding bill, passed by the State General Assembly in 2017, is a huge victory for South Carolina and the Charleston region. The projected $630 million annually in new revenue it generates will significantly improve funding for maintenance and expansion of existing roadways and will help complete many existing priority road improvements. But it does not solve all of our infrastructure funding problems. Creating the regional transportation system employers and residents demand will also require significant funds for new construction and smart financing solutions. The region’s leaders must continue to prudently invest revenue from county sales taxes, seek federal matching dollars and leverage funds and financing support from the State Infrastructure Bank and other sources. 1 Project Selection Criteria The projects highlighted in this publication are carefully vetted and ultimately selected by the Charleston Metro Chamber’s Infrastructure Vision Committee. The projects in this document were evaluated against the following criteria: • Accommodate Anticipated Growth • Facilitate Freight Movement • Advocate for Feasible and Fundable Solutions • Promote Economic Development • Enhance Region-wide Connectivity • Preserve and Enhance Quality of Life All projects included in this document are top priorities and the order of presentation is not a ranking. ABOUT US Charleston Metro Chamber With approximately 1,600 member organizations representing 160,000 professionals, the Charleston Metro Chamber serves as the collective voice of the tri-county business community and a catalyst for regional economic advancement and member success. Infrastructure Vision COMMITTEE Originally established as a task force in 2011, the Infrastructure Vision Committee studies the region’s short- and long-term infrastructure needs and advises the Chamber’s Board about priority projects. The Committee is made up of large employers and private-sector leaders with backgrounds in engineering, construction, planning and resource management. Their first Infrastructure Priorities report was published in 2013 and has been updated regularly. 2 College Park Road to Jedburg Road Berlin Myers Parkway - Phase 3 Highway 78 Widening Red Bank Road Palmetto Commerce Interchange I-526 Widening and Interchange Palmetto Commerce Improvements Parkway - Phase 3 Navy Base Airport Intermodal Connector Facility Road Church Creek Port Drainage Basin I-26 Widening Access Hugh K. and Improvements Road Leatherman Port Terminal Glenn McConnell Lowcountry Parkway Extension Rapid Transit Highway 17 Crosstown and Main Road Drainage Interchange Mark Clark Expressway Ashley River Completion Non-Motorized Bridge Charleston Harbor Deepening Sea Islands Greenway 5 Highway 41 Corridor Improvement Billy Swails Boulevard Extension Priority Projects Map New Road Construction STORM Water Management ImprovING Existing RoadS ENHANCING MASS TRANSIT ExpanDING Freight Capacity BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIONS 4 Continued population growth, the desire to preserve open land, traffic congestion and shifting resident expectations practically demand a future with more and better mass transit options. If coupled with appropriate zoning changes to allow walkable commercial and residential development, the envisioned Lowcountry Rapid Transit (LCRT) line, connecting downtown Summerville with the Charleston Peninsula along the Rivers Avenue corridor, holds tremendous promise. ENHANCING MASS TRANSIT 5 LOWCOUNTRY Rapid Transit Description: A 23-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) line connecting downtown Summerville, North Charleston and the Charleston Peninsula. Functioning like “light rail on rubber tires,” this mass transit system will operate a fleet of buses in dedicated lanes along the Rivers Avenue corridor (U.S. 78/U.S. 52). The line will provide an alternative to Interstate 26 for commuters. Purpose: Create a “spine” for Charleston’s mass transit system along the most heavily traveled commuter corridor in the region. The envisioned 18-stop line would offer opportunities for connecting service to employment centers, transit-oriented development and park-and-ride facilities at certain stations. The goal is to reduce vehicle congestion in the I-26 Corridor and offer residents the opportunity for a car-optional commute. A BRT system is the most feasible mass transit option for our area in terms of cost and capacity. It features dedicated lanes and traffic signal prioritization. It has the added benefit of flexibility because rubber tire buses can go into mixed traffic when needed. Status: Preliminary engineering and planning are underway. The project must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Construction is estimated to be complete in 2025. Estimated Cost: $360 million Funding: The Charleston County 2016 Half-Cent Transportation Sales Tax referendum pledges $250 million for transit. That funding will be used as the local match to apply for funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant program. The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments is managing the Lowcountry Rapid Transit project. Downtown Summerville PROPOSED CORRIDOR Berlin Myers P * The station locations and route shown are not Lincolnville P intended to signify the final approved station College Park / Fairgrounds P locations or route. The process of station location and route determination is still underway. Trident Health / CSU P Otranto P Northwoods Mall Trident Technical College Key Remount Segment 1 North Charleston City Center Segment 2 Liberty Hill / Amtrak Segment 3 Shipwatch Square T Segment 4 Stromboli Design Variant Magnolia Segment 5 Upper Peninsula Station Area Romney Street P Park & Ride Huger Street T Transit Center Line Street T 6 Given our region’s consistent, steady growth and a long history of underfunding infrastructure, new road capacity remains a dominate need. All of these new road construction projects will have a profound impact on traffic and mobility region-wide, but two are above the rest in scale, scope and transformative impact: completion of the Mark Clark Expressway and extension of the Glenn McConnell Parkway. Once completed, the Mark Clark Expressway will provide a safe evacuation route for residents of James and Johns Islands. It will also alleviate choke points at Main Road and Folly Road and take hundreds of daily commuters off surface streets in West Ashley and Downtown Charleston. Extending the Glenn McConnell Parkway from its current end at Bees Ferry Road in West Ashley to U.S. 17A west of Summerville will create an important alternative north-south route that will alleviate volume on I-26. It will also help protect the scenic and historic Ashley River area along Hwy 61. New Road Construction 7 College Park Road Airport Connector Road to Jedburg Road Description: Description: A new three-mile multi-lane roadway that provides a new route to the Extend College Park Road from where it currently terminates airport. The roadway is expected to start at W. Montague Ave and at U.S. 17A in Western Berkeley County, connecting