Mount Pleasant Way segment approved for Rifle Range Road with USDOT-funded match

Charleston County's Greenbelt subcommittee approved a Mount Pleasant Way corridor project: a 10,853-foot multi-use shared-use path along Rifle Range Road from Ben Sawyer Boulevard to Benning Road.

James Aton, deputy director of capital projects and transportation for the Town of Mount Pleasant, presented the corridor segment and said the town is requesting $1,073,100 in town urban Greenbelt funds with a reported match of $2,300,000 from a USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant. The project will construct a paved 10–12-foot shared-use path on the north side of Rifle Range Road, connecting schools, neighborhoods and existing trail segments and addressing safety concerns noted in the town's 2023 safety action plan.

Aton said the town anticipates receipt and execution of the federal SS4A agreement in the next few months; construction and design timing depends on that approval. He said design elements could include boardwalks to protect grand live oaks, bioswales and drainage improvements. The subcommittee approved the project by voice vote; the transcript records unanimous approval without a roll-call tally. Public comment raised concerns about mailbox access, trash placement on sidewalks and potential increased bike/pedestrian traffic; town staff said design, signage and enforcement would mitigate conflicts and that a widening would create space to manage conflicts and safer passage.