Charleston County outlines $245 million Highway 41 improvements, seeks right‑of‑way approval

Charleston County programs manager Sean Sotek told County Council on June 24 that the county is preparing to move forward with planned improvements to SC Highway 41, a roughly 9.5‑mile project intended to reduce congestion, add bicycle and pedestrian facilities and minimize property relocations.

Sotek said the project — started in 2017 and refined after extensive public engagement — now uses a “compromise alternative” that narrows widening through the Phillips community to a three‑lane section, avoids residential and commercial relocations and includes a continuous multi‑use path connecting US 17 to Clements Ferry and Berkeley County. He said the county plans to advertise the project for construction bids in the third quarter of 2026 and anticipates a roughly four‑year construction schedule once work begins.

The project has accumulated substantial public input and technical review during an eight‑year planning period, Sotek said. County staff received more than 7,000 public comments, evaluated roughly 20 alternative designs and coordinated with the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice on…