Say Yes to Cross Island Parkway
Charleston County Council is considering a proposal to move forward with a controlled access parkway through Johns Island. As proposed, the cross-island parkway would maintain safety for persons living and working on the island and lower vehicular traffic volumes on both Bohicket Road and River Road. In addition, it would help support the rural character of Johns Island and preserve its grand roadway oaks.
A Washington DC based transportation group, TRIP, ranked River Road 5th and Bohicket 6th in a list of the state's 100 most dangerous roads. 28 people died in traffic accidents on River and Bohicket roads between 2002 and 2006. The major problems are the volume of vehicular traffic and the proximity to roadside grand oaks! The slightest mistake leaves no margin for driver error. By 2030, the Council of Governments estimates that traffic volumes will increase 29% on Bohicket Road and 254% on River Road.
A cross-island parkway would be needed to remove 20,000 trips per day from Maybank, Bohicket and River (if built now, it would remove volume of 12,000 trips per day). More importantly, a new road would provide appropriate lines of sight and proper road shoulders, which current roads cannot do, even if County were to build parallel roads to widen existing Bohicket and River. Also, building parallel to Bohicket and River would disrupt and displace far more residents, small businesses and churches than a cross-island parkway through Johns Island.
Charleston County Council is considering a proposal to move forward with a controlled access parkway through Johns Island. As proposed, the cross-island parkway would maintain safety for persons living and working on the island and lower vehicular traffic volumes on both Bohicket Road and River Road. In addition, it would help support the rural character of Johns Island and preserve its grand roadway oaks.
A Washington DC based transportation group, TRIP, ranked River Road 5th and Bohicket 6th in a list of the state's 100 most dangerous roads. 28 people died in traffic accidents on River and Bohicket roads between 2002 and 2006. The major problems are the volume of vehicular traffic and the proximity to roadside grand oaks! The slightest mistake leaves no margin for driver error. By 2030, the Council of Governments estimates that traffic volumes will increase 29% on Bohicket Road and 254% on River Road.
A cross-island parkway would be needed to remove 20,000 trips per day from Maybank, Bohicket and River (if built now, it would remove volume of 12,000 trips per day). More importantly, a new road would provide appropriate lines of sight and proper road shoulders, which current roads cannot do, even if County were to build parallel roads to widen existing Bohicket and River. Also, building parallel to Bohicket and River would disrupt and displace far more residents, small businesses and churches than a cross-island parkway through Johns Island.
95% of the people who would be using the parkway would be people working on Kiawah and Seabrook (contractors, construction workers, lawn maintainance crews, resort staff, real estate staff, Freshfield workers, etc.). The resort alone has over 1,200 workers in peak season. I can guarantee that the vast majority don't live on Kiawah Island...
I don't want to worry about the commute to and from work when it's rainy or dark. The Cross Island Parkway will take care of that!
Lets build the roads we need. No more Bonsai Development. Carl.
I am strongly in favor of a cross island parkway - to preserve exisitng scenic roads and to provide traffic relief, safer roads and allow for inevitable future growth. I am against making this a toll road. I think this would defeat the purpose of the road. If widening of Bohicket or River Road is under consideration, there must be some thought of the funding required. That funding should go toward the preferred alternative of the cross island parkway.
The Cross Island Parkway will greatly improve the Saftey Factor on both Bohicket and River Roads. It will also allow the Johns Island residents to maintain the rural characteristic of the Island.
This road has been needed for many years. Hopefully, it will happen soon.
I've had to dodge swerving trucks and cars dozens of times on Bohicket. I feel fortunate every time I make it safely home or to work at Kiawah. I would like a daily drive where the speeds are not such an issue with fewer curves and more room for shoulders.
I think that the people that oppose this plan do not realize the impact it would have on the community. Population is rising and there is no fighting that. The traffic will have to go somewhere. I would rather see this highway built than see the existing roads widened. The widening of existing roads would destroy the small town country feel of driving on these islands. I believe that the people/residents opposed to this plan simply want nothing to change, but that is impossible!! In the end the best choice needs to be made to preserve the atmosphere and with a new highway there is the opportunity to take the least intrusive path.
When it improves the ssfety of traveling on Main Road, it will be worth its weight in gold.
For the love of God and our fellow man......stop the delay and start saving lives!
I am a Johns Island resident who believes that this road will reduce congestion and increase safety for residents and visitors alike.
Any impotents to roads for safety of the drivers are a most I am not a resident of Johns Island but I visit Kiawah and Seabrook often.
We do not have the option of doing nothing. Unless the commercial traffic is taken off of Bohicket and River Roads in their current configurations, the people of Johns Island will not have reasonable use of their own roads, and the commercial workers who commute daily to and from the Charleston area to the coast will continue to suffer injuries and fatalities.
Making driving safer for travel to beautiful Charleston will be a gift to all. The beautiful Bohicket Road and trees may last longer!
we are for the cross island connector!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am not interested in any super roadway only a safe road to drive. I feel threatened every time I drive Bohicket or River Roads
Safer roads help everyone involved.
We need safer roads for everyone travelling to and from Kiawah/Seabrook
We personally know two people who have lost their lives on Johns Island roads. We live on Seabrook and hope to live here for many more years. Most of our family and friends are local. When they come to visit we always worry about their drive home, especially after dark. Over the last 30 years we have seen a huge increase in the amount of traffic; service and construction vehicles, residents, and visitors. The Cross Island Expressway would dramatically increase the safety for all of these people. We also love the canopy from our beautiful trees, the rural atmosphere and would like to preserve them. Lastly, the expressway would help assure safer and more timely hurricane evacuation.
Can't wait until this opens! It will be so much better of a drive from Charleston to Kiawah!
It is not just the tragedy of 28 people killed in a 5-year period on these two dangerous roads. It is also the on-going tragedy of the many more people who were injured in accidents, who keep living with their own and their familiies lives adversely affected, if not totally destroyed and torn apart. In war it is not unusual to have 10 people injured for every fatality, and the same ratio is probably true for vehicle accidents. If so, there were around 300 people injured on these roads in the same 5-year period whose lives and their families have been changed for the worse or even shattered. A careful analysis of those people killed and injured on these roads would almost certainly show that the large majority were not property owners or residents on Kiawah or Seabrook Islands, but were service providers, or maintenance persons, or construction workers, and I suspect that many of these people had inadequate or no medical insurance, compounding their misery. The tragedy of lives ruined will only grow larger until a cross-island parkway is built. It makes no sense for a lot of obvious reasons to consider widening Main or River Roads. The only sensible solution is a cross-island parkway, the sooner built the better.
As a former property owner on Kiawah and Wadmalaw islands and a frequent visitor, any improvement to the poor roads on Johns Island would be welcome. The Cross Island Parkway is an improvement that is overdue. Over the years, I have seen several accidents on the roads and have had to wait for emergency crews to administer services to injured passengers and clear wreckage. The CIP will go a long way toward increasing safety for residents and visitors alike.
I feel this will greatly help our island. We are constantly seeing new neighborhoods which is increasing the traffic problem. I take my children to school on James Island every morning and it takes longer to get from my home to James Island than from North Charleston. The number of deaths on these two roads is more than enough reason to want a change. The connector is a wonderful way to save lives, the beautiful trees, and reduce the traffic nightmare Johns Island is becoming.
As a visitor to Kiawah for 20 years, I am in full support of the Cross Island Parkway. Safety is the issue -- while preserving the beauty of Bohicket and River Road -- and the Cross Island Parkway is the best solution.
please think about all those charleston county residents that are not kiawah or seabrook property owners that have jobs at kiawah or seabrook that have to travel back and forth each day. also please think about the johns island residents that also have to live with this each day. also please think about the visitors to kiawah and seabrook that that could be going in to charleston and back with a cross island expressway. this would have to be a boost for the charleston economy and for our national image.
I drive this road round trip at least 5 times a week and it needs to be fixed. It is too narrow and the trees on either side of the road are dangerous. Please fix.
I support the construction of the Parkway.
Traveling Maybank Hwy and River Road is a daily occurence for me and the amount of commuters making illegal and dangerous passes along these roads is an invitation for disaster. The "Responsible" contruction of a new Parkway is important for the safety of commuters as well as residents of these roads.
As a resident along Main Road and daily traveler of River Road AND mother of 2 young drivers, I think this is imperative.
