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Residents say medians may shift dangerous traffic into James Island neighborhoods
Summary
Residents urged SCDOT to avoid one-size-fits-all medians, arguing that closing left-turn access will divert vehicles into residential streets and could increase pedestrian risk; SCDOT said first responders were part of its stakeholder review and that some median sections are designed to be drivable by emergency vehicles.
Multiple residents said the proposed medians transfer risk from Folly Road into nearby neighborhood streets. "When long stretches of left turn access are removed, drivers... They just divert," said a James Island resident who identified herself as Marilyn Clifford, urging SCDOT to evaluate neighborhood impacts "upfront before decisions are locked in."
Residents raised questions about specific intersections, maintenance responsibilities for medians and markings, how emergency vehicles would navigate backups, and the potential for increased speeds on alternate routes. One resident noted the middle lane currently allows waiting to turn left into neighborhoods and said losing that option would make some movements dangerous. SCDOT responded that the project team included first responders; the agency also said some concrete median segments are only a few inches tall and can be traversed by emergency vehicles if needed.
Why it matters: Residents argued that safety gains on high-speed sections should not come at the expense of residential streets where children walk and where stormwater/drainage and parking patterns differ. SCDOT said it will continue stakeholder work and additional studies to seek workable tradeoffs.
