Town aims to take over road project

MOUNT PLEASANT — Town Council is exploring whether it can take over the widening of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard from Charleston County.

Town Councilman Paul Gawrych said the project has languished since voters approved increasing the sales tax to fund better roads four years ago.

He said he wants a more aggressive schedule for completion of the road improvements, tentatively scheduled for 2012.

The town could shave a year off the process if it were in charge, he said. "Let us take this on."

The town has $70 million for the widening of the congested boulevard from four to six lanes from the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge to Interstate 526. The funds are the town's share of the RoadWise half-cent sales tax increase.

County Councilman Dickie Schweers of McClellanville said he is open to discussing the issue. "I certainly respect Mount Pleasant's ability to oversee road projects. But on large projects such as this, it's always tougher being on the outside looking in," he said. "The enormity of the projects does build in a lot of paperwork and planning time."

The town will contact the county to suggest a meeting of Town Council and County Council transportation committees. "I'm certainly open to discussing it," he said.

Gawrych called for an intergovernmental agreement to transfer the $70 million from the county to the town so it can take over the Johnnie Dodds project. He suggested getting consultants and road builders together in the same room to hammer out details of a "design-build" project.

For Gawrych and the town, the project is about more than moving traffic, although that is a key issue because 45,000 cars use the road daily. Rush-hour backups are common on the boulevard.

However, the six-lane project is seen as a starting point for a redevelopment project that would radically change the feel and look of the road. The town sees the widening as a catalyst in redeveloping the frontage roads as biker and pedestrian-friendly places with shops, offices, cafes and green space.

"I'm not just about adding another lane and putting down a blacktop and moving on," Gawrych said.

He said the town has been waiting for three years for the boulevard to be widened. So far, no dirt has been dug, but survey crews have been working on the project.

Schweers said transferring the project to the town involves legal and contractual issues that could delay work and drive up costs.

Ultimately, the town's goal is a six-lane U.S. 17 bypass from the Ravenel Bridge to Wando High School.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com.