Fairchild Street improvements complete

Charleston’s traffic department has completed a lane reconfiguration project on the south side of Fairchild Street with the aim of improving traffic flow and safety.

 

The project is at the intersection of Fairchild Street and River Landing Drive and involves asphalt paving, sidewalk upgrades, an exclusive right-turn lane, new arrow signals, and pedestrian safety upgrades.

 

The right lane, previously a straight/right turn lane, is now a dedicated right turn only lane. The left lane has been modified to handle both straight and left turns.

 

City communications director Deja Knight McMillan said she expects the project to streamline traffic, particularly for morning commuters heading to Refuel, Starbucks, and those accessing I-526 eastbound toward Mount Pleasant.

 

“This lane reconfiguration will allow that movement to have its own exclusive lane and not have to wait behind traffic going through the intersection or turning left,” she said. “There will also be a right-turn arrow phase to improve operations and safety of this movement. In addition, the southbound left turn from River Landing Drive onto Fairchild Street will have a protected arrow phase for improved safety and operation. 

 

“To enhance pedestrian safety, a crosswalk with pedestrian heads will also be across the north leg of River Landing Drive, with all pedestrian signals updated.”

 

McMillan said the city allocated $50,000 towards the project’s $100,000 estimated cost, with the remainder funded by the project’s developer, Woodfield Development. 

 

City councilman Mike Seekings said a portion of the intersection’s median had to be removed on the opposite side during construction to safely accommodate the movement of traffic.

 

“Every effort was taken to minimize traffic disruption until the completion of the project,” McMillan said.

 

City Councilman Boyd Gregg said the new turn lane configuration should significantly improve traffic flow compared to the previous setup.

 

“As this intersection was previously configured, the westbound lane of Fairchild had a right and a straight in the right lane, and a left turn only in the left lane,” Gregg said. “This meant that if a driver was going straight towards Daniel Island Drive, they had to stop at the red light, and this caused backups on Fairchild for those wanting to turn right to enter 526 eastbound to Mount Pleasant.”

 

Daniel Island resident Frank Wells, who has lived on the island for nearly 20 years, shared his excitement about the new right-turn only lane.

 

“This will ease the flow of traffic and keep cars from backing up towards the Refuel and Starbucks, making it safer for people headed from Daniel Island to Mount Pleasant,” Wells said.