INFRASTRUCTURE PRIORITIES To view full report please visit www.charlestonchamber.net/infrastructurepriorities
INFRASTRUCTURE VISIONING TASK FORCE July 2017
College Park Road to Jedburg Road Palmetto Commerce Parkway
Berlin Myers Parkway - Phase 3 Highway 78 Widening
Red Bank Road
Palmetto Commerce Interchange
Airport Connector Road
I-526 Widening and 26/526 Interchange
Navy Base Intermodal Facility
Port Access Road
Church Creek Basin
I-26 Widening and Improvements
Glenn McConnell Parkway Extension Highway 17 and Main Road Grade Separation
Leatherman Terminal
Bus Rapid Transit
Mark Clark Expressway Completion
Sea Islands Greenway
Highway 41 Widening
Infrastructure Policy Principles • Infrastructure is essential to economic vitality • Infrastructure enhances quality of life • All modes of transportation are important to regional competitiveness • Continued need for all sources of funding and financing
Sweetgrass Basket Parkway Extension
Criteria For Project Selection These projects were carefully vetted and selected by the Chamber’s Infrastructure Visioning Task Force based on the following criteria: • Accommodate Anticipated Growth • Advocate for Feasible and Fundable Solutions • Enhance Region-wide Connectivity
Harbor Deepening
Priority Projects Map New Road Construction
Water Management
Existing Road Improvements
Future Needs
Freight Capacity Expansion
Off Map to North
Charleston's Infrastructure Imperatives The Charleston Metro Region is enjoying a parade of economic wins. While the economic forecast remains sunny, our infrastructure is an ominous cloud looming on the horizon. Drive around our region and you’ll understand the urgency. Our existing infrastructure is not even meeting our current needs. There is no way it can handle our anticipated growth. The region must invest now to continue enjoying economic success tomorrow.
Roads Infrastructure means more than roads. But at this stage in the region’s development, road capacity is our dominant need. We have elevated 15 projects, both new roads and improvements to existing roads, as top priorities. Each priority project will: • Significantly improve congestion • Cut travel time for drivers Two stand above the rest in scale, scope and transformative impact: • Completion of the Mark Clark Expressway • Extension of the Glenn McConnell Parkway
FREIGHT To keep our manufacturing engine humming and our military missions supported, we must keep raw materials flowing in and finished product moving out. We must: • Complete harbor deepening • Enhance capacity at our port facilities
WATER We’ve done well prioritizing and completing drainage projects in recent years including Crosstown, Market Street, Calhoun West and Forest Acres. But every king tide or heavy rainfall reminds us that the need to move water is a fact of life. Current water management priorities include: • The Church Creek Basin
FUTURE NEEDS We must also keep an eye on the horizon and plan for a more walkable transit-oriented future, and better manage our infrastructure assets. Alt I-26 Bus Rapid Transit: • Line connecting Summerville with downtown Charleston along the Rivers Avenue/King Street corridor Regional Smart Traffic Management System: • Leverages the latest data and systems to keep travel times predictable • Coordinates state and local agencies involved in incident response and traffic flow
NOW IS THE TIME We can’t afford to wait on these vital priorities. The region is adding jobs, increasing wages and providing residents an excellent quality of life. Continuing that momentum relies on infrastructure, and we’re lagging behind. Elected leaders across the region have made prudent decisions to raise revenue for infrastructure through a sales tax. We need to ensure those dollars are invested wisely. We also need state and federal partners to invest alongside local leaders and provide necessary financing to move these projects forward.