Dealing with the wait

What’s your most frustrating traffic intersection to get stuck in on Clements Ferry Road?

 

Point Hope Parkway at Clements Ferry Road after that that ill-timed, what was I thinking, grocery run when Philip Simmons schools let out?

 

Or maybe it’s sitting at the intersection of Beresford Run just before having to – floor it! — to make that daring “pray and cross” left-hand turn against oncoming traffic?

 

Nelliefield subdivision, sound familiar? Et tu, Peninsula?

 

With the popularity of the Charleston area and the “nowhere to build but inland” mantra, the sudden pop-up of new homes, subdivisions, and shopping centers is sometimes occurring faster than government entities can keep up with.

 

The just-finished widening project of a 4-mile stretch of Clements Ferry Road, from Jack Primus Road to Highway 41, from its first meeting in 2017 to ribbon cutting last fall, took seven-and-a-half years to complete.

 

During that timeframe, thousands of new residents flocked and moved into the nearby developments as hundreds of apartment units, townhomes, and single-family houses were built.

 

And with a total of 9,000 homes expected in Point Hope when it’s all said and done, it’s almost like the upgraded Clements Ferry Road doesn’t have a chance.

 

To illustrate the increase in the volume of cars traveling on Clements Ferry Road, take a look at the state transportation’s average daily traffic totals from 2022 to 2023.

 

In one year, the number of cars on Clements Ferry increased from:

 

• 20,000 to 21,000 on Cainhoy Road to Jack Primus Road via Clements Ferry.

 

• 36,500 to 38,400 on Jack Primus Road to I-526 via CFR. 

 

• 12,100 to 12,700 on CFR to Reflectance Drive.

 

• 16,200 to 17,000 on Reflectance Drive to Cainhoy Road via CFR.

 

• 73,200 to 76,300 on Virginia Ave to CFR via I-526

 

• 63,400 to 66,900 on CFR to Seven Farms Drive via I-526

 

Even before the advent of Point Hope and other developments, Clements Ferry was already experiencing an increase in collisions.

 

In a five-year span from 2017 to 2021, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety reports almost 500 collisions along Clements Ferry Road, mostly due to improper lane changes, driving too fast for conditions, following too closely, and failing to yield the right of way.

 

Berkeley County councilman Jarrod Brooks, who represents the Clements Ferry area, said he hears every day from constituents about the traffic troubles along the busy route. He said local officials recognize the need for new traffic signals in the area, but it’s not as easy as installing a light overnight.

 

“The final authority for traffic-calming, including signal lights, is with the Department of Transportation,” Brooks said, adding that the building of new public services, like fire stations, will greatly impact where the next traffic signals are located. That may be the case for a new traffic light at Beresford Run and Clements Ferry, as a new Fire Station 20 is planned to be built in the area.

 

Ultimately, Brooks said abiding by the speed limit and driving properly can help the frustrations on Clements Ferry. In addition to police presence, he is also looking into possibly stationing radar machines along the road as a deterrent.