Reducing Traffic and Congestion

Growing up on the Isle of Palms, before the IOP Connector, my body has been naturally trained to travel along Coleman Boulevard to reach any destination outside of East of the Cooper- including Downtown Charleston, I-26, North Charleston, West Ashley, or Folly Beach. Prior to the instillation of such useful infrastructure such as the Isle of Palms Connector (517), Hungry Neck Boulevard, I-526, and the round-abouts on Riffle Range Road and Matthis Ferry Road, I must admit that I stuck to the simplicity and scenic route of Coleman, the Old Cooper River Bridge, and then onto the Crosstown to reach all desired destinations. The growing traffic issues are not a new problem with the recent years of growth in Mt. Pleasant. As I made the choice to move to Mt. Pleasant from Downtown Charleston following college, I specifically selected a home that did not have the main entrance to the neighborhood opening onto Highway 17 for fear that I would be stuck in traffic on a continuous basis. Driving down Highway 17 in Mt. Pleasant has begun to feel more like driving through Highway 17 in Myrtle Beach!

Several months ago I drove out to Park West to take some food to an ill friend and was utterly dumbfounded by the enormous amount of traffic which I struggled through at 5 p.m. on a week day in which it took me in excess of forty minutes to reach the entrance of Park West via Highway 17 from the 517 corridor. The growth of beautiful residential neighborhoods in the northern area of Highway 17, past Long Point Road (which in my shot lifetime once mostly open land) has made Mt. Pleasant an incredibly desirable location for families. This coupled with the popular golf courses at Charleston National, Rivertowne, and Dunes West as well as popular dining/shopping options has added great value to our community without significant infrastructure being added to alleviate the additional normal and transient population using these thoroughfares.

Traffic matters must be managed to maintain the integrity of our community.  The brunt of this burden cannot be felt only by the City, but must be in cooperation with the State for significant change to occur.  My father has worked closely with the SCDOT on numerous traffic studies and issues since 1991 in which the Isle of Palms Connector was built, Palm Boulevard was widened, and many other items are currently under review.  It will take a candidate with experience in these, and many more matters, to achieve results.  Let’s get him to the State House before Mt. Pleasant becomes Mt. Gridlock!

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