Committee hears brief updates on stormwater work, Central Park closure and Folly Road 'road diet' design

At the July 15 meeting the committee received project updates from jurisdictional staff about ongoing construction and planned design work affecting James Island traffic and drainage.

Folly Beach reported that construction for the Center Street stormwater project has begun; crews completed utility investigations and are working on side roads. A town representative said the planned work will replace pipes with larger capacity sections and implement innovative stormwater approaches. The project-contact asked the committee if there were questions; a committee member asked whether the city had other stormwater projects underway and was told the city has additional work in its pipeline.

Committee members also discussed the Charleston County Central Park Road closure. Staff said the closure will last about four months for work on drainage; detour signage was strengthened to route traffic to Camp Road and the city has added an earmark for Hollings Road drainage. Participants said the closure has been well-managed and that they had not received significant complaints about detours so far.

Finally, town staff said the city is preparing to bid design work for a Folly Road “road diet” near Bowens and Pease Island that will reduce four lanes to two and add dedicated left-turn lanes into Bowens and Pease Island. Staff said SCDOT has already approved the concept and the city is starting the design-bid process; construction is expected to be more than a year out. A town representative said the change aims to improve safety and that traffic sequencing along Folly has shown typical afternoon congestion.

Ending: Committee members noted these projects when discussing broader Folly Road safety priorities; no formal votes or funding decisions were taken on the project updates.