Main, Bohicket, and Betsy Kerrison

From Bees Ferry Road to Old Pond Road

This is the Main Road Corridor Project Segment A.  Click here for a detailed map of the project.

• Scope:  Main Road from Bees Ferry to Old Pond, ~2.4 mi (aka the Main and 17 flyover)
• Lead Organization:  Charleston County
  • Contact:  Herbert Nimz
• Status:  The design-build contract proposals have been evaluated and three qualified bidders have been identified.  The County will now go out for quotes, with design-build contract award expected in 2023 Q3 and construction begin in 2023 Q4.
• Funding/Budget/Cost Estimate:  See Main Road Corridor Project below.
• Schedule:  Construction is expected to start in September 2023 and is expected to take about three years to complete

From Old Pond Road to Brownswood Road

• This section of Main road is part of the Main Road Corridor Project Segment B
  • Status:  Inactive
• Other Activities
  • Mary Ann Point Intersection Improvement Project 
    • Status:  The County conducted a Road Safety Audit to identify safety improvements at this intersection:  You can read a summary of their report here.
    • Funding: Annual Allocation Program
  • Proposed  reconstruction of 1.64 miles of Main Road from Mary Ann Point Road to Maybank Highway as part of the  2024 Pavement Improvement Program
• Only other improvements that would occur are those that would be required by SCDOT for new developments, e.g. turn lanes

From Brownswood Road to Maybank Highway

• This part of the study area for the Main Road Corridor Project Segment C.  See Bohicket Road below.

Bohicket Road is included in the Main Road Corridor Project Segment C study area.  Also see here.

• Scope: Main/Bohicket Roads from Brownswood to Betsy Kerrison, ~7.6 mi

• Lead organization:  Charleston County
  • Contact:  Alex Owsiak

• Status:  
  • May 16, 2018:  Project funding signoff by County Council
  • June 2019: Project started
  • April 28 to May 27, 2022: Public comment period
  • October 10, 2022:  Charleston County released their assessment of the comments they received for Segment C.  You can find their assessment here. 
  • Jan 2023:  The initial assessment of level of service improvements (LOS) can be found here.  The latest assessment (Jan 2023) can be found here..  
  • Early 2024:  Next public meeting (it was originally scheduled for late spring 2023)
  •    The County is still working on the downselect and are focusing on a combination of Alternatives 1A and Alternative 6.  Alt 1A proposes to widened Bohicket and Main Roads from Edenvale Road to Brownswood Road to 4 or 5 lanes.   Alt 6 proposes to selectively address where the congestion issues are (at the intersections), provide a network of roads to help relieve congestion, and address safety issues
  •    The County is currently performing a tree survey.  

    

• Funding/Budget/Cost Estimate: See Main Road Corridor Project below.

• Schedule:    
  • 2023 Q3:  Revised alternatives reduced to two.  Public information meeting.
  • 2023 Q3:  Selection of "Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative " (LEDPA).
  • 2023 Q4:  Public meeting.
  • 2024 Q3:  Right-of-way acquisitions.
  • 2025 Q2:  Permit review and decision.
  • 2025 Q3:  Begin construction.
  • Construction is expected is expected to take up to three years to complete.  The duration is alternative dependent.

No improvements are planned by the County.  The only improvements that would occur are those that would be required by SCDOT for new developments, e.g. turn lanes.

Note that the Town of Kiawah has envisioned a stoplight at Camp Care Road for access to an envisioned development across Betsy Kerrison Parkway.

Kiawah Island Parkway

The Town of Kiawah Island has done an analysis of traffic on Kiawah Island Parkway.  Note that the Parkway, as well as the Freshfields Roundabout, are owned by the Town.  The analysis can be found at:

• Kiawah Island Parkway Intersection and Corridor Study 
• Kiawah Island Parkway Traffic Update
• 2022 Traffic Count Data

The upgrade to Main and Bohicket Roads was part of the 2016 half-cent sales tax referendum.  The referendum was codified in an ordinance which you can view here.  The ordinance states in part that projects "may include, but [are] not limited to ... US 17 at Main Road flyover and widening Main Road from Bees Ferry to Betsy Kerrison with Parkway type section at Bohicket“.  These funds are referred to as Transportation Sales Tax (TST) funds.

The Main and Bohicket Roads upgrade project, referred to as the Main Road Corridor Project, was approved and funded ($195M) by Charleston County Council in May, 2018.  You can view the sign-off sheet here.  Council also separated the project into three segments and prioritized them as follows:

• Segment A:  Main Road from Bees Ferry Road to River Road
• Segment C:  Bohicket Road from Maybank Highway to Betsy Kerrison Parkway
• Segment B:  Main Road from River Road to Maybank Highway

In July 2020 the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB) provided "$40.7 million in funding to go toward the $111 million [Segment A] project.  The county will fund the rest of the project with half-cent sales tax money."  See this article.

Cost Estimate
The original cost estimates totaled $165M to $205M.

• Segment A:  $85M to $105M
• Segment B:  Not included
• Segment C:  $80M to $100M

The current cost estimates are:

• Segment A:  ???
• Segment B:  Not included
• Segment C: $40 to $200M (Alternative dependent), revised April 2022

Funding
The currently available funding is $195M from TST funds allocated to the entire project and $40.7M of State Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB) funds which can only be used for Segment A, for a total of $235.7M.   Construction must start on Segment A by ??? or else the County will lose these funds.

Segment A
You can view a map of Segment A here.

Segment B
Inactive

Segment C
"The primary purpose of the project is to reduce congestion (see projected traffic data) and to increase capacity on Main Road/Bohicket Road from Maybank Highway to Betsy Kerrison Parkway.  The secondary purpose of the project is to provide opportunities for bicyclists and pedestrians to safely travel throughout the project area."

There are currently six alternatives still being evaluated.  You can view maps of each of these alternatives here.

• Alternative 1:  Widen Bohicket Road from Betsy Kerrison Parkway to Brownswood Road

• Alternative 1A:  Widen Bohicket from Edenvale Road to Brownswood Road

• Alternative 3:  New road through the center of the island from Betsy Kerrison Parkway to the proposed Mark Clark Extension

• Alternative 4:  Widen Bohicket Road to north of Edenvale Road then a new road to the proposed Mark Clark Extension

• Alternative 6: Selective improvements on Bohicket Road from Edenvale Road to Chisolm Road and add road network

• Alternative 7:  Widen Bohicket Road from Edenvale Road to Brownswood Road, widen Plow Ground Road, and widen River Road to Maybank Highway

Note that Alternatives 3 and 4 do not make any improvements to the Maybank/Main/Bohicket intersection and that alternatives 3, 4 and 7 make improvements to River Road north of Plow Ground Road.