Phase 1 of Clements Ferry Road widening project nearly complete

Construction barrels removed last week to delight of motorists

“It’s Clements Ferry Christmas!”

“What a beautiful sight!”

“Oh, happy day.”

Those were just a few of the sentiments expressed by local residents on social media on the day the lingering orange and white construction barrels were finally removed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), signaling the opening of all four lanes on the newly expanded Clements Ferry Road corridor from the I-526 intersection to Jack Primus Road.

Pre-engineering, right of way acquisition and construction on the $46.1 million project was funded in part by the Charleston Area Transportation Study (federal funds managed by SCDOT) and Berkeley County’s one cent sales tax. It took four years to complete, but Phase 1 will officially finish up on Aug. 30, three months ahead of schedule, according to a press release on the project, and potentially under budget.

Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb, District 2 Councilman Josh Whitley, and Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis were given a ceremonial opportunity to remove the first few barrels on Thursday, Aug. 14.

As the trio worked to lift the barrels into an SCDOT vehicle, a few passing motorists honked their horns, with one driver extending a celebratory first bump into the air. Whitley thanked the community for their patience.

“I’m feeling great, I know it’s a long time coming for the residents,” he said, when asked about the day’s significance. “When I got into my council seat in 2015, the project literally wasn’t moving for a lot of reasons.”

Shortly after taking office, Whitley recalled meeting with SCDOT, the county and the city to begin discussions about pushing the project forward.

“From that point to this point, a little over four years, has gotten us to where we are today,” he continued. “And I’m very appreciative of DOT this summer pushing the contractor to open it before school starts and I want the citizens of Berkeley County to know this is a county project in terms of funding. The penny sales tax absolutely matters to get this project and others like it open for quality of life.”

Supervisor Cribb was equally pleased about being able to open the expanded corridor to residents and others in the community.

“It’s important because it’s always exciting to complete a project,” he said, as cars and trucks whizzed by on the busy thoroughfare. “They never happen as fast as you’d like, but you’ve got to celebrate them when they’re complete nonetheless. So, this is a beautiful corridor, an improving corridor. These orange barrels have been here for safety, obviously, and they’re very important. Pulling them is a sign of at least completing this phase.”

“I’m excited for the residents here because of all the safety concerns,” added Sheriff Lewis. “We’ve been inundated with calls for the last four years about traffic congestion, unsafe driving, reckless driving, all of those things…And I’m hopeful now that the residents are gonna be able to see a significant change…We’re just happy to get it going and I’m just excited for the people.”

Daniel Burton, a district construction engineer for SCDOT, was also on hand last week for the barrel removal and shared his thoughts on the project’s completion.

“We’re excited for all the project stakeholders, for us, for our contractor, Banks Construction, for Berkeley County...but most importantly for commuters who use this road each and every day,” said Burton. “It’s a much needed project. Certainly this area has been congested for quite some time, so we’re very excited to be able to get to this point today and open this road up. It’s a monumental goal that’s been in our sights for quite some time.”

“SCDOT applauds Berkeley County for committing its penny sales tax revenue to assist in the funding of this much needed project,” said SCDOT Commission Chairman Robert D. “Robby” Robbins. “SCDOT looks forward to working with Berkeley County in the future that will improve transportation in this area.”

Phase 2 of the Clements Ferry Road widening project will be managed by Berkeley County and is expected to begin soon. The 4.5 mile project will extend from Jack Primus Road to Highway 41 and will feature a number of improvements, including widening the roadway to four lanes and adding a raised median and a multi-use path. According to the Berkeley County website, that section of the roadway has an average daily traffic count of 14,200. Approximately 100 properties will need to be purchased and various utilities will need to be relocated to make room for the upgrades.

“We’re working really hard on the next phase,” added Cribb. “We’re in the condemnation process right now, acquiring the land that we need to get it going, but we’re working diligently.”

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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