Bay and Charles intersection reopens after $12 million storm‑drainage upgrade

Beaufort reopened the Bay and Charles intersection Friday after Gulfstream Construction Incorporated completed paving work tied to a $12,000,000 storm‑drainage upgrade that had blocked vehicle and pedestrian access for about three months. The closure had reduced traffic through the downtown business district during the holiday season.

"Downtown has been hit hard with a waterfront promenade closure, so this is what we need at this point in time," said Ashley Hoke, president and CEO of the Beaufort Area Hospitality Association. Local business owner Nate Sutton posted on Facebook that his business would be "open for business" following the reopening.

The work at the intersection is part of a broader, year‑long Charles Craven Street Stormwater Improvements project budgeted at $11,900,000. According to the broadcast, the project will replace about 1,900 aging pipes and install tide‑check valves along the waterfront to reduce chronic flooding from hurricanes and other storms. With the intersection reopened, crews will proceed north along Charles Street to continue the project.

Gulfstream Construction completed paving at the intersection and reopened it to traffic Friday afternoon, allowing vehicles to more easily reach downtown from both directions of Bay Street and improving access to hotels and marinas that had been affected by the closure. BCTV reported that some downtown businesses did not survive to January amid the combined effects of the stormwater work and promenade closure.

BCTV is the source of the report and the quotes attributed to Ashley Hoke and Nate Sutton appeared in the broadcast.