Folly Beach starts Center Street stormwater upgrades this season; work to focus on east-side streets
Summary
Folly Beach staff said crews will begin an island-wide Center Street stormwater improvement project, installing larger drains, curb rain gardens and permeable surfaces; construction will prioritize maintaining two lanes on Center Street and will use weekday work to reduce summer weekend impacts.
Folly Beach staff announced May 22 that Center Street stormwater improvements will begin this month and will focus primarily on east-side streets that drain toward Center Street, including East Huron, East Erie, East Cooper and portions of East Ashley.
Town staffer Chris Bizzle described the project as an island-wide drainage effort identified in a prior study that found the current system cannot reliably handle king tides and storm surges. The project includes upsized underground drains and inlets, above-ground measures to reduce standing water, curbside rain gardens and replacement of some impervious concrete with permeable surfaces.
Bizzle said crews are on site now and that the contractor’s goal is to maintain two-way traffic on Center Street by using the center turn lane where feasible. The town plans weekday-only construction to minimize weekend beach traffic disruption, and engineers hope to postpone substantial work on Center Street itself until after Labor Day, though the timeline is fluid because of uncertainties encountered when crews open pavement, Bizzle said.
Communication is a priority, Bizzle added: the town will use its website, social media, emergency CodeRED alerts and a parking app that can push notifications to drivers about construction impacts and available public parking. The town asked municipal partners and the county to share press releases and social posts when blocks are scheduled for closure or work.
Why it matters: During the summer season, Folly Road and Center Street experience heavy visitor volumes; Bizzle said state counts show peak weekend days can exceed 20,000 vehicles. Improving drainage on Center Street is intended to reduce flooding that otherwise spreads to Folly Road and island neighborhoods.
Bizzle estimated the Center Street commercial block work will be limited to one block between Center and Second East, and said the town hopes the project will wrap up by June 2026, subject to funding and field conditions.
