Network of streets favored; Consultants recommend dropping 4-lane proposal
By David Slade
Johns Island — A network of new two-lane streets would be a better solution to traffic than widening Maybank Highway, a consultant told a crowd of more than 100 people Wednesday evening.
Florida-based Hall Planning and Engineering had been hired by Charleston, Charleston County and the Coastal Conservation League to evaluate the options.
Company President Richard Hall essentially agreed with what the city has been advocating: that Charleston County's Roadwise program should drop plans to make Maybank Highway four lanes wide, plus a turn lane, in favor of the new-streets alternative.
The thinking is that an expanded street network, particularly around Maybank Highway and River Road, would spread traffic out and improve traffic flow, without damaging the rural character of Johns Island.
Road-widening projects would threaten grand live oaks that line the rural byways.
A top priority, Hall said, should be eliminating the bottleneck on Maybank Highway approaching River Road, where traffic crossing the Stono River is squeezed from two lanes on the bridge to one on Maybank.
The concept favored by Hall calls for creating a two-lane road parallel to Maybank Highway, between the bridge and Fenwick Hall.
Each two-lane road would be one-way, doubling the lanes to and from the bridge.
Near Fenwick Hall, more two-lane roads would be added, all leading to River Road.
With at least four ways to get from the bridge to River Road, traffic would be dispersed along with the backups at the intersection, Hall said.
The proposed network of roads would resemble a pitchfork, with the bridge being the handle.
"I think the pitchfork idea sounds good," said Marissa Reilly of Johns Island. "Something needs to be done about that bottleneck."
Hall said his report is not in its final form yet. County Council is expected to review the report later this month.
Members of the audience for Hall's report, at the Johns Island branch of the Charleston County Library, were largely supportive of the concept.
Some peppered him with questions about traffic, trees and property rights. Where and how, asked several people, would the city or county acquire the rights of way needed for all these new roads?
Hall said some property owners have already been contacted and agreed with the plan.
He said many of the proposed roads would be centered around three village-like areas the city would like to see develop along Maybank Highway, and property owners would likely allow the roads because it would increase their property values.
Pearse Webster, of Wadmalaw, commutes daily to James Island but is not interested in seeing Maybank Highway widened.
Webster didn't really like the idea of creating lots of new streets, either. He said it seemed preferable to widening Maybank Highway, but he objected to the city's concept of town centers.
"If I wanted to live in a place where multi-story buildings come right up to the road, I would have moved to New York," he said.
Hall said that if what Johns Island really needed was a four-lane Maybank Highway, he would have recommended that option.
Reach David Slade at 937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com.
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nature_lover (anonymous) says...
Please look at Mr. Hall's last statement - if a four lane is what you want, that's what I would have recommended. That pretty much tells the story. There is no analysis behind what he says, he just tells you what you want to hear. Go ahead and drink this Kool Aid folks. It will never work.
July 10, 2008 at 6:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BillytheKid (anonymous) says...
Extend 526.
July 10, 2008 at 7:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tammie (anonymous) says...
You can extend Maybank to 10 lanes, some of the islanders still can't drive worth a cuss.
July 10, 2008 at 7:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
PalmettoHawk (anonymous) says...
There is an alternative, have residents on John's Island or beyond with addresses ending with an odd number leave for work at 7:00 or 9:00 AM and residents with addresses ending in an even number leave for work at 6:00 or 8:00 AM make it an enforced traffic violation with "time" police in each neighborhood (said tongue in cheek).
July 10, 2008 at 8:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tammie (anonymous) says...
PH, if you did that, there'd still be some slowpoke holding up traffic. Lol
July 10, 2008 at 8:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Siri (anonymous) says...
I would hate to see Maybank widened. You know that they would not work around those old oaks. I love the look and feel of driving over there. It's majestic!
July 10, 2008 at 8:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
YankeeLady (anonymous) says...
Mr. Hall's comment was NOT that a 4 lane highway was appropriate - he said that if that was what was NEEDED he would have supported it. It's not needed, so he doesn't support the concept.
The completion of I-526 in its current plan would be detrimental to both James and Johns Island, and to the Stono River environment. The public has spoken over and over again to this affect, and other recommendations have been made. Why does the County continue to cling to this terrible and obsolete way of thinking?
July 10, 2008 at 9:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
berthelot (anonymous) says...
I'll tell you why YankeeLady, because the powers that be have already made up their minds. They want the 526 extension, and they are just riding out all of the "public concern" so that they can claim to have reviewed all alternatives and then go ahead with the plan that was their intention all along.
July 10, 2008 at 10:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Skipper (anonymous) says...
Good call, YankeeLady! It chaps my hide when people twist other people's words to fit what they want to hear.
Here's the thing about this whole situation: there isn't that much traffic going into Johns Island from James Island to warrant the cost financially, culturally and environmentally. Now, to the folks living at Kiawah or on Johns Island who are inconvenienced for a few minutes as traffic merges on Maybank it probably seems "terrible". But consider this... they chose to live over there just as anyone who chooses to live on a barrier island does so knowing the limitations of infrastucture. That may be harsh, but someone obviously needs a reality check.
Great post, berthelot! You hit the nail on the head. If y'all think traffic is bad now, just wait until they build more and bigger roads to reach undeveloped and less developed areas. That's what we call "stupid" growth. Build it, and they will come, and come, and keep coming.
July 10, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HuberB (anonymous) says...
Hall Planning and Engineering is doing an excellent job. The plan this firm is drafting is many times better than Charleston County's Roadwise plan. All future transportation planning in the Charleston area should be modeled on the work Hall's firm is doing on Johns Island.
July 10, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
Good plan Palmettohawk: We need that for the summerville/goose creek area (17a - 176)!
lololol
July 10, 2008 at 1:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Eye_on_You (anonymous) says...
PlamettoHawk,
Instead of tounge in cheek, how about stick a sock in that pie hole of yours
July 10, 2008 at 3:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pompusmaximus (anonymous) says...
thomas1776, please return to your secluded mountain compound with the other crazy militiamen.
July 10, 2008 at 3:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
PHiers (anonymous) says...
ONLY 100 PEOPLE, and I bet few of the folks supporting the grid system will live in any of those neighborhoods that would be effected. How many already connected neighborhoods has the city gone into and put in speed humps because of the speeders they can't control? Hampton Park area, Burns Down, between Savannah Hwy and St Andrews Blvd, etc, etc! While those 100 folks who probably are retirees or others who seldom leave the island have time to attend every workshop, charrette, town meeting, the city organizes, the rest of us are working full time jobs (off the island), keeping up our homes and neighborhoods, raising our children, and having to commute on and off the island daily to do anything because the island is "rural".
Has any one of these folks thought about just how much commercial/business/industrial activities will have to be brought to the island to keep a majority of the residents living in the "urban growth boundary" on the island instead of commuting to make the city's long range plan work? I doubt it. And just what culture along Maybank Hwy between River Rd and Main Rd are they trying to protect? Falling down and abandonned buildings and property? Most of the live oaks and other grand trees have already been cleared for the previous development that has taken place along that 2+ mile stretch over the past 20 - 30 years. Has anyone noticed that nowhere in the city's plan does it address how long the plan will take, nor does it address the additional traffic that will be added in just the next 5 years with all the development the city has already approved. Anyone at that meeting that trusts that this pie-in-the-sky plan of the city is going to really happen and really do anything to help with the continuously growing traffic problem, really is drinking the Joe Riley flavored kool-aid. The county roadwise program has a plan in hand resembling the Betsy Kerrison Pkwy that protects probably more grand trees and wetlands than the city's plan does. If you notice they don't show how many wetlands they would have to cross in order to develop all the currently undeveloped parcels in their plan. Nor do they mention how much of those undeveloped parcels are currently not in the city. This is all something that everyone needs to consider before throwing out all the hardwork that the county roadwise group has done based on suggestions from hundreds of Johns Islanders over the past year.
July 10, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
skipper:
I chose to live on Johns Island for its beauty and seclusion. I wish it was like the old bumper sticker said, "Johns Island Rural Forever" but sadly it isn't. When we moved here there wasn't infrastructure in place to support the current rate of growth.
The only thing the new Stono bridge has accomplished is moving the bottle neck from the James Island side of the Stono to the Johns Island side. The fact it doesn't get stuck open weekly is nice too :)
It all reminds me of growing up in Mt. Pleasant when it was still rural...hard to believe but yes, Mt. P used to be quiet and small. But the are grew up before there was infrastructure to support the growth. It's backwards over here too. We have put the cart before the horse on Johns Island and now people think we need a solution to traffic issues.
I don't see a problem with completing 526 from James Island and from West Ashley. The James Island and IOP connectors were built through marshlands and everything is OK so just do it.
I hope this is a message to other out lying areas and islands. Protect your integrity now before growth gets you too.
July 10, 2008 at 5:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
STREETLAW (anonymous) says...
Pearse webster has a right to be concerned about hi-rise buildings where the city is involved.
While the quasi-town of James Island strains at gnats over the height of a proposed building facade on Maybank Highway, the city has allowed a 3+ story building to be built on Folly Road that blots out the skyline when you come over the Wappoo Cut Bridge. And I doubt it is the last multi-story building we will be seeing.
Not that the town of James Island is really doing anything to stop growth on the Island, just the height.
Folks you might as well get use to it. People have a certain right to the highest and best use of their property. It is fundamental to real estate law. You can slow development down, but you aren't going to stop it in the long run. About the best you can hope for is to keep it horizontal and spread it around. More roads might help.
We already need another four lane highway on James Island. Perhaps from the downtown connector across Clark Sound paralleling Dills Bluff Road to Camp and beyond. Or maybe 6 lanes circumventing the entire Island ;-)
July 10, 2008 at 7:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nature_lover (anonymous) says...
Mr. Hall did say "needed" and not "wanted". My mistake. Believing what he says...your mistake. Isn't it funny how several 2 lane roads, as proposed by the "grid" are better than one 4 lane road? Consider the math here. Two 2 lane roads add up to 4 lanes plus 4 shoulders. One 4 lane road has 4 lanes and 2 shoulders. Which option will take more land? Which option will wipe out more trees? Which one will stimulate more development (you know, the real enemy).
July 10, 2008 at 8:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rollo (anonymous) says...
Finish 526, see where we are from there.
July 10, 2008 at 8:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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