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S.C. DOT opens I-526 Lowcountry Corridor project office

Staff //November 7, 2019//

S.C. DOT opens I-526 Lowcountry Corridor project office

Staff //November 7, 2019//

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The S.C. Department of Transportation has opened a North Charleston office focused on the Interstate 526 Lowcountry Corridor West project to allow community members to learn more about the project.

The I-526 Lowcountry Corridor West project is an effort to increase capacity and improve operations at the Interstate 26 and I-526 interchange, as well as along I-526 from Paul Cantrell Boulevard in West Ashley to Virginia Avenue in North Charleston.

The project team currently is considering several preferred alternatives for different parts of I-526, including the I-26 and I-526 interchange, the I-526 and North Rhett Avenue intersection, and the I-526 and Paul Cantrell Boulevard intersection.

S.C. DOT Project Manager Joy Riley said the I-526 Lowcountry Corridor West project office on Rivers Avenue is meant to be a resource for the community to ask questions as the project moves forward. (Photo/Patrick Hoff)Starting Monday, the office at 5627 Rivers Ave. in the Gas Lite Square shopping center, will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Community members will be able to drop in to learn more about the project and get answers to their questions.

“The impacts to the community are significant on this project,” said Joy Riley, project manager for the S.C. DOT. “It’s not even in a gray area, it is definitely significant impacts. … We have to be more intentional about our outreach; that’s why this office is here.”

In addition, the S.C. DOT is also hosting several public meetings over the next few weeks to discuss the alternatives with the community. Five of the meetings are meant for communities that will be impacted by the project; a general public information meeting will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Charleston Area Convention Center.

The official public comment period is open through Jan. 4.

In fall 2020, the S.C. DOT will present a single preferred alternative for more community input, at which time Riley said the project team will know more specifics, such as the amount of highway noise the project will add and a more precise cost. The current cost estimate for the I-526 Lowcountry Corridor West project is $1.1 billion.

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