Regional Transit Routes

Rail Connections

Hanahan has a strong historical connection to the region’s rail network. As discussed in the Historic and Cultural Resources Element, the City of Hanahan was named after the historic train station in the city. Most of the railways are used for the transportation of freight as opposed to passenger services. Freight travel via railroad is an efficient and cost-effective method of transporting a large amount of goods, long and short distances, especially heavier goods such as coal, steel beams and machinery. This, in turn, alleviates the reliance on trucks on already congested roadways. Most of the rail lines are heavily dependent on the Port of Charleston for a majority of the goods to be transported. CSX Corporation owns and operates two lines, one of which establishes the western boundary of Hanahan.

Passenger services are available through Amtrak on their Palmetto and Silver Service trains, which run from New York to Miami. The Gaynor Ave Station in North Charleston is the local stop to board and get off these lines. Amtrak operates on the same rail lines owned by CSX through an agreement between companies. This requires close coordination to avoid any conflicts and prevent backups.

Hanahan has nine railroad crossings within or adjacent to the city limits. These crossings include at Otranto Blvd, Eagle Landing Blvd, Mabeline Rd, Stokes Ave, Murray Dr/Highland Park Ave, Remount Rd, Commerce Cir, N. Rhett Ave, and Yeamans Hall Rd. Some of the crossings, Otranto and Eagle Landing in particular, have created connectivity concerns for residents, commuters, and emergency services

Seaport Facilities

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) owns and operates the Port of Charleston, comprising several terminals along the Cooper and Wando Rivers such as: Columbus St, Hugh K Leatherman Sr, North Charleston, Veterans, Union Pier, and Wando Welch. The North Charleston Terminal is the closest terminal to Hanahan, located directly south of the city, adjacent to the Naval Base and accessed by Remount Rd.

In 2020, the Port of Charleston ranked 6th in the nation in dollar value of goods handled, having imported, and exported over $72.7 billion of goods. In 2021, SCPA handled a record 2.75 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of container traffic and in 2019 generated an annual economic impact of $63.4 billion statewide.

Airport Access

The Charleston International Airport (CHS) is the largest airport in the state and in 2021, served more than two million passengers. Hanahan is located just northeast of the airport. The airport is also adjacent to Joint Base Charleston. Using a joint-use agreement, the airport and air force base share several facilities and infrastructure, most importantly of which is the runway, which is owned by the U.S. Air Force.

The terminal complex is a 270,000 square-foot structure on three levels and includes two concourses: Concourse A (five gates) and Concourse B (10 gates). In 2016, CHS completed a $200 million redevelopment project which added five gates and renovated the interior of the terminal. Served by eleven airlines (Alaska, Allegiant, American, Breeze, British, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver, Southwest and United), the airport has non-stop flights to over 40 different cities across the United States and England, including major airline hubs such as Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago, Charlotte, and Atlanta. American, Delta and Southwest airlines reportedly accounted for over twothirds of enplanements in FY 2021.

Freight activity is a large contributor to the annual operations of CHS. According to the operations report in 2021, over 9 million pounds of freight were enplaned and almost 25 million pounds were deplaned at CHS. The busiest months were between February and June. This is a significant decrease from FY 2018 when CHS enplaned almost 34 million pounds and deplaned over 54 million pounds of freight.

Community Facilities

Community Facilities encompass a wide range of public services and facilities for residents of the community including schools, public safety, fire protection, EMS, and parks and recreation. Availability and quality of these services and amenities play a critical role in a community’s livability for current residents, and can be important factors for prospective residents. Typical proximity to amenities, quality of public schools, accessibility to open spaces is some of the particular community facilities discussed in this Element. Assessing the condition of these facilities and identifying opportunities to enhance Hanahan’s community facilities was part of the Needs Assessment and Priority Investments analysis. This contributed to the formulation of specific action items to be included in the implementation chapter

MAP 7: COMMUNITY FACILITIES