[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6560992,"mediaKeyId","3303489-b6a94fc481ede00f7600b2139d34c185","parentId",3303489,"title","Steering committee revisits transit and micromobility options for Folly Road; funding and parking remain obstacles","audioSeconds",862,"startMs",3704000,"endMs",4566000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3303489-b6a94fc481ede00f7600b2139d34c185&start=3704&end=4566","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3303489-b6a94fc481ede00f7600b2139d34c185/thumbnail_3704000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6560992/James-Island/Charleston-County/South-Carolina/Steering-committee-revisits-transit-and-micromobility-options-for-Folly-Road-funding-and-parking-remain-obstacles","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6560992-f016f4b391403a2385a05f521558fcca/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445499&Signature=LAf0J6PQ8JiTOLjCeMz-B1razzJQLZczKc-jSDZSi0YzxV4sPLkYCnI6GtwgMcIW3t7wy500URRNeWpiGdp81P3oKOC8AuXY9SZgsG6dxelZe8nK5xF9gBCWZFo~WhpH1Uj7dfSWBYBtdvUId9ry1ynkSEuv3yfGgF6i4i42HePrd11l3yrf0NRmwODmDGAHN8Nfe6en49S709xxFppzV~9~sDcnmqbfFxGl5WxM2mND-OrujcehdIaunGucYzUQnbzG3JMKlCRzvAxcLk7SrKQGHVnlB5KwGkQQDx6XKGADfKk~BVEScBnK6YKXKlaCXzoDZ1wwRabGqlU-FhtIuw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","James Island","date","2025-05-14T00:00:00Z","article","Members of the Rethink Folly Road steering committee on May 22 raised transit and micromobility alternatives for Folly Road, including CARTA service, microtransit shuttles, bike-share and scooter racks, but said funding and infrastructure remain primary obstacles.

Katie (last name not stated) and committee members noted prior studies showing public interest in transit but also widespread reluctance to ride buses stuck in traffic. “People would absolutely love to bus to the beach if it was in its own lane,” one staff member said, summarizing prior feedback. Participants said the IOP (Isle of Palms) model, where municipal contributions help fund CARTA beach service and designated stops exist, is a potential template.

Lime (a private micromobility vendor) had previously declined to expand on the peninsula because of perceived safety issues and a lack of dedicated parking/rack locations, staff said. Committee members discussed microtransit or vanpooling for employees as lower-cost experiments; one committee member noted a local restaurant uses a vanpool to shuttle staff from North Charleston.

No formal commitment to pursue a specific service was made. The committee asked staff to re-open conversations with CARTA, consider microtransit pilots and keep the micromobility question on a future agenda or city RFP if opportunities arise (for example, if a new Lime or similar operating contract is solicited). Participants recommended identifying potential parking or turnaround locations and coordinating funding contributions among local governments.

Why it matters: Reducing single-occupant vehicle trips to Folly Beach could ease peak-season congestion and reduce parking pressure, but a viable alternative will require funding and either dedicated lanes or operational arrangements that avoid buses being stalled in general traffic.

Committee members asked staff to keep the topic on future agendas and to share studies and prior survey results with the committee and with municipal partners to identify pilot options.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","James Island - ReThink Folly Road Steering Committee - May 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Committee members and municipal staff discussed bus service, microtransit and shared scooters and e-bikes as possible ways to reduce Folly Road congestion; participants said funding, safe infrastructure and parking/turnaround locations are the main barriers.","taxTitle","James Island, Charleston County, South Carolina","taxId",70277,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6560996,"Folly Beach starts Center Street stormwater upgrades this season; work to focus on east-side streets",548,2503000,3051000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3303489-b6a94fc481ede00f7600b2139d34c185&start=2503&end=3051","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3303489-b6a94fc481ede00f7600b2139d34c185/thumbnail_2503000.jpg","/articles/6560996/James-Island/Charleston-County/South-Carolina/Folly-Beach-starts-Center-Street-stormwater-upgrades-this-season-work-to-focus-on-east-side-streets","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6560996-d439391495b342224591b1bd1fbfd7ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445499&Signature=oDn0kCSrDG9j15FpX5ddfCOZ7VEFLonPJzAUG~VxGJpZTQpXscA3bh8MlRYgbtQOrJeebTVqCFKcBgklAI1B2cTVRElZRSpdTGUuL0J-IKzzUEazsovFTwGIDqJ9-8zY2BnAf1gZUVkkewfZM~6L33EMIQ0dPgUiOS5o39Ki8xG1DQvqQBk5qgzMHzjQbIDpA3f6lKRhWzJQNW52I-IvnBIXr99PAfPcj7G67K-DiX6IA1mjzT0vwFPWSrxUNMxdowKasGkUa5RBhGsSkCeRz0qtHM2vAF5tgz~lNk5sE9f~oFWYt-WL4ou4yBISkjoi5H6N9P-fIGh65LIXxl2bvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Folly Beach staff announced May 22 that Center Street stormwater improvements will begin this month and will focus primarily on east-side streets that drain toward Center Street, including East Huron, East Erie, East Cooper and portions of East Ashley.

Town staffer Chris Bizzle described the project as an island-wide drainage effort identified in a prior study that found the current system cannot reliably handle king tides and storm surges. The project includes upsized underground drains and inlets, above-ground measures to reduce standing water, curbside rain gardens and replacement of some impervious concrete with permeable surfaces.

Bizzle said crews are on site now and that the contractor’s goal is to maintain two-way traffic on Center Street by using the center turn lane where feasible. The town plans weekday-only construction to minimize weekend beach traffic disruption, and engineers hope to postpone substantial work on Center Street itself until after Labor Day, though the timeline is fluid because of uncertainties encountered when crews open pavement, Bizzle said.

Communication is a priority, Bizzle added: the town will use its website, social media, emergency CodeRED alerts and a parking app that can push notifications to drivers about construction impacts and available public parking. The town asked municipal partners and the county to share press releases and social posts when blocks are scheduled for closure or work.

Why it matters: During the summer season, Folly Road and Center Street experience heavy visitor volumes; Bizzle said state counts show peak weekend days can exceed 20,000 vehicles. Improving drainage on Center Street is intended to reduce flooding that otherwise spreads to Folly Road and island neighborhoods.

Bizzle estimated the Center Street commercial block work will be limited to one block between Center and Second East, and said the town hopes the project will wrap up by June 2026, subject to funding and field conditions.","Folly Beach staff said crews will begin an island-wide Center Street stormwater improvement project, installing larger drains, curb rain gardens and permeable surfaces; construction will prioritize maintaining two lanes on Center Street and will use weekday work to reduce summer weekend impacts.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6561000,"Charleston County to raise Central Park Road, replace culverts and close stretch for months; detours planned",971,2877000,3848000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3303489-b6a94fc481ede00f7600b2139d34c185&start=2877&end=3848","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3303489-b6a94fc481ede00f7600b2139d34c185/thumbnail_2877000.jpg","/articles/6561000/James-Island/Charleston-County/South-Carolina/Charleston-County-to-raise-Central-Park-Road-replace-culverts-and-close-stretch-for-months-detours-planned","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561000-8d71fb18a5e5476aa0c0d5347918cab9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445499&Signature=D5~b0BFJ0u5K0WoVI2FZHzkrL-o9bTyYIyt1E3H1plqB5ePTyiJACcVszGZIfMQ3ZsYaCqbJ1Ksv1e~XT3Sj1~jOVClKyfYlZMdpKYEXWXLDQDYMbdGWxtUPgG7xLKuEFdS5EhjsEEJwrRoBNpzMoMrqOKA3cPPU0KLvhBlcdV6xMP9J~J~4p9TWl1f2qsbtd9WI7lc9INr6oytrODWQfjmeVz4l4clN8nlVHaozxJDEkTQ1y6ms7QBQxMSGK6BpHyhGoPM6B7Mcck44ZDuV9BvQeaI9YkTpgnfx2s8UcJO4E6RPQU50F5CPIXuOnNf7aEmhSwzwAnr7hLxT~~BCVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Charleston County Public Works on May 22 described a Central Park Road drainage and road-raising project that county staff said will reduce frequent tidal flooding and improve resilience for James Island Creek.

County project manager John Proruck told the steering committee the work will raise the roadway roughly two feet and replace the existing culverts — currently one 48-inch and one 24-inch — with three 48-inch culverts. The project will also add tide controls: two muted tide gates and an in-line check valve designed to remain open most of the time and close only during high tides to free upstream storage, Proruck said.

Because the work includes large excavation and structure replacement at the creek crossing, the county plans a full closure of Central Park Road between Riverland Drive and Fleming Road for much of the summer and early fall. Proruck said the closure is expected to continue through October; normal business-hour construction (7 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday) is planned and the contractor will maintain driveway access for residents within the closure limits.

The county described detour routing intended to keep traffic on major roads and off neighborhood streets. Westbound drivers approaching the closure will be signed to use Fleming Road to Maybank Highway; northbound Riverland drivers will be directed to Maybank Highway. County staff said they will place message boards at least a week in advance and will coordinate with Charleston Police and municipal partners on detour signage. Proruck said the project will also preserve upstream saltmarsh and large trees by using tide-control devices rather than completely blocking tidal exchange.

Why it matters: Proruck said Central Park Road has experienced “sunny-day” tidal flooding that has led to 24 officially reported road closures in the last five years, according to 9-1-1 records. County officials said improvements will reduce those closures, improve emergency access and enable downstream and upstream basin projects to function better.

The county will post updates and a QR sign-up for alerts; Proruck asked attendees to sign up for project notifications. He noted the project connects to other planned drainage work in the basin and that the county will coordinate signal timing and communications with nearby jurisdictions to reduce traffic impacts to Folly Road.

Residents and committee members asked for advance message boards on Folly Road to discourage turns onto Central Park Road once the closure is in place. Proruck said he would work with the contractor and communications staff to add pre-turn signing on Folly Road so drivers do not reach Central Park only to be detoured onto Maybank Highway.","Charleston County officials said a Central Park Road project will raise the roadway two feet, install three 48-inch culverts and tide-control gates to reduce king-tide flooding; work requires a closure from Riverland Drive to Fleming Road with local access maintained and detours routed to Maybank Highway.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6561005,"SCDOT outlines scaled-back Folly Road safety plan amid resident concerns over medians and emergency access",2153,409000,2562000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3303489-b6a94fc481ede00f7600b2139d34c185&start=409&end=2562","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3303489-b6a94fc481ede00f7600b2139d34c185/thumbnail_409000.jpg","/articles/6561005/James-Island/Charleston-County/South-Carolina/SCDOT-outlines-scaled-back-Folly-Road-safety-plan-amid-resident-concerns-over-medians-and-emergency-access","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561005-2b14b410d2ab1edd51c4623b811d7d09/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445499&Signature=QVZ18uzgsvLfjITPOnsHc-Bv7cM7A297BrY5cTLMeC-0SSFisUfc4-6I7LHakII7k8FMRvE7-m8cyGnCfZNU9XMsztiIViDCeuUlPJgss5ke0spmRQmUt-yJe9z8MN3dgYiGCtt4Drjirq3E2fqlwGv7uX7Ta2FCmulB2m~WVFOVmpQAu2cvU1oHf9K25JTsSmMU-nx7Cj3xfGm1wU8Fztr3qcyHHOJ1tGsvwKkIdV-SVP3Cs0uluEI1y7He5IjWZ9OM1E2oANghRHG4JWtKfpE6XhKNzUVRPU20oqk8TzIghTfMkihDdolrHGnALMRxDuOKWo6m8xgq0n1dD5FK0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","South Carolina Department of Transportation representatives on May 22 told the Rethink Folly Road steering committee they had revised an earlier, more aggressive concept to show three raised medians at Avenue A, Truist (Truist Bank area) and Camp, while removing other medians originally proposed through the Walmart frontage.

The change follows public comments and a DOT re-evaluation of crash data, DOT presenter Sean Sally said. “When we initially do these projects … we kind of throw everything out there that’s going to optimize safety. We do a lot of systemic things,” Sally said. He added staff then “go back and look at the crash data” and remove elements that do not clearly improve safety or that could create other hazards.

The revised plan retains pedestrian improvements including crosswalks and signal upgrades at several locations and proposes a HAWK (high-intensity activated crosswalk) beacon at the Truist crossing, Sally said. The plan will include refuge islands at selected crossings and “push-button” pedestrian signals tied into nearby traffic signals.

Why it matters: Folly Road is a primary artery to Folly Beach and carries heavy summer traffic. Residents and business owners raised concerns that new medians could block left turns and push traffic onto neighborhood streets, create access problems for deliveries and emergency vehicles, or turn nearby side streets such as Bradford Avenue into faster alternate routes.

Residents and business owners asked for crash data and for DOT to show how the design would accommodate deliveries and emergency access. Rebecca Lourdes, a resident of Riverland, asked whether concrete medians would prevent emergency vehicles from reaching Folly Beach during peak summer congestion. Sally said DOT will address emergency access and acknowledged the concern, noting the project will include targeted signal and crosswalk improvements and that some medians were removed after the crash review.

Spencer Wetmore, a committee member, emphasized for the public that the set of plans in the meeting packet was the older design and the version released for public comment reduced the number of raised medians to three. “What he’s going to present is not this,” Wetmore said, urging the public to refer to the updated materials.

DOT staff said they will test the project using traffic counts and before/after crash studies (three years pre- and post-project) as part of federally required benefit-cost justifications for FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) funding. Sally repeated that if traffic studies show a median is shifting trips into residential neighborhoods in a way that harms those neighborhoods, DOT will re-evaluate the design.

Several property- and business-owners pressed specific operational questions: how semitrailer and delivery access would work at Casa Fiesta and other restaurants; whether right-turn-only restrictions might be sufficient instead of physical medians; and whether any medians would be left in front of Fort Johnson and the James Island Emergency Room. DOT replied that some medians remain where crash patterns and signalized intersections show a safety benefit and that delivery and access patterns are considered during the detailed design and traffic-count phase.

DOT staff reiterated an upcoming public open-house format meeting May 22 at Camp Road Middle School (two-hour drop-in window) where attendees could review boards and speak one-on-one with design staff. “If you can’t make it to the meeting next Thursday, go to the website. Put those comments on the website where we can address,” Sally said.

Votes at a glance: The steering committee approved routine minutes at the meeting by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded.

The committee encouraged DOT to bring crash data to public sessions and to post clear diagrams of proposed crosswalks and signal types. DOT said the current materials on the project website reflect the revised design and that they will include clarifying graphics and the crash analyses at upcoming public events.","South Carolina Department of Transportation representatives presented a revised Folly Road safety proposal that reduces raised medians to three locations and keeps several sidewalk and pedestrian features under study after public feedback; residents raised safety and emergency-access questions during the steering committee meeting.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Steering committee revisits transit and micromobility options for Folly Road; funding and parking remain obstacles

Folly Beach starts Center Street stormwater upgrades this season; work to focus on east-side streets

Charleston County to raise Central Park Road, replace culverts and close stretch for months; detours planned

SCDOT outlines scaled-back Folly Road safety plan amid resident concerns over medians and emergency access