Added traffic could be biggest challenge

Boeing's new manufacturing plant promises to add thousands of vehicles a day to the Lowcountry's biggest crossroads, an intersection of interstates that already slows to a crawl at rush hour.

Dealing with Boeing's traffic shapes up as the biggest infrastructure challenge that state and local governments will face in the wake of Wednesday's announcement.

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said he is confident that the issue can be worked out.

"I think it's all manageable. I really do," he said. "It's just going to take some planning. We know Boeing is the type company that's going to sit down and work on the planning."

Summey said the traffic issue could be finessed partly by having Boeing schedule shift changes so workers aren't trying to leave or arrive during the most congested hours.

"I would think if there were going to be any upgrades, it may be on International Boulevard," which leads from Interstate 526 to the plant site, he said.

Summey noted that the current widening work along I-26 between I-526 and Ashley Phosphate Road will help handle the additional traffic, and rebuilding the Remount Road-I-26 interchange will help, too.

Summey noted that that intersection could be a major entryway to the plant for workers and deliveries arriving from the west.

The plant's other infrastructure needs, from water to sewers to drainage to electricity, can be met with relative ease, officials said.

North Charleston Sewer District Manager Jimmy L. Green said the district doesn't expect to have to upgrade any lines or pump stations because of the plant, at least not at this point.

Likewise, S.C. Electric & Gas said it is well-positioned to handle Boeing's needs because of the Vought plant and other redundancies in its grid, spokeswoman Patricia Freshwater said.

The plant won't need rail service, and the State Ports Authority won't need to make any enhancements to meet Boeing's shipping needs, spokesman Byron Miller said, adding, "We have ample capacity."

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control already has issued a permit for clearing and grading the site; and Boeing has applied for a permit to expand a parking facility, said Dan Burger, of the DHEC's Ocean and Coastal Resource Management Division.

Boeing will need additional permits to build the plant and for rerouting Aviation Boulevard. "These projects will likely be bundled into a single permit application," Burger said.

State Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Charleston, said lengthening the runways at the Charleston International Airport might loom as the biggest challenge.

"As far as infrastructure goes, I'm sure there will be challenges along the way, but we'll take them in stride," he said.

Summey said Boeing's arrival should increase the urgency of widening I-26 from I-526 east to Charleston's city limits, but that project already was being pushed because of new port development.