Johns Island, S.C. – The City of Charleston is working alongside Charleston County and the state to develop a plan aimed at expanding Maybank Highway, a key route connecting Johns Island to the Stono River Bridge (also known as the Paul Gelegotis Bridge). This expansion is focused on improving traffic flow between River Road and the bridge, which currently sees congestion due to the narrowing of lanes.
The Need for More Lanes
Currently, Maybank Highway consists of two lanes of traffic coming from the bridge to River Road, which then condense into one lane heading off the island. District Three City Councilman Jim McBride notes the need for a second lane going off the island to alleviate pressure on this busy route, which leads directly to the bridge. “We desperately need that one lane going off the island to turn to two lanes to alleviate that pressure, and that feeds right into the bridge. It already has two lanes,” McBride says.
City’s Proposal for Roadway Management
While the section of Maybank Highway in question is currently owned by the state, the City of Charleston has proposed taking over its management to allow for the expansion project to move forward. McBride explains that this change would provide greater flexibility for the project. “The mayor recently took a portion of King Street to add more parking, for example. So he and the city taking that portion of Maybank just allows a little more flexibility on the width of Maybank,” McBride says.
He highlights that the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has strict requirements for road widths, but with the city in control, a narrower 11-foot lane could be implemented. This would save both time and money, as well as minimize the impact on trees along the route.
Collaboration with Charleston County and Funding Plans
McBride is working with County Councilman Jim Boykin to discuss how the project would be funded, noting that Charleston County has already allocated funds for the preliminary work. “The county, to give them credit, already spent a million dollars to survey and plan the extra lane off of Maybank Highway. And this discussion has been going on, actually, for decades,” McBride says.
While the project’s exact price tag has not been determined, McBride hopes to secure additional funding from leftover resources from the defunct I-526 extension project, which could help speed up the expansion.
A Push for Quick Action
Both the city and county are eager to see the project get off the ground as soon as possible, with McBride expressing optimism that the project could be completed within the next year. “We just need a couple more permits, and this thing could get started relatively soon,” he says. The goal is to find the quickest and most effective way to get the project underway, with a potential partnership between the city, county, and state to implement the lane expansion.
