SCDOT cites high crash counts as it outlines Folly Road safety plan with medians and pedestrian upgrades

SCDOT officials presented a corridor safety plan for a five-mile section of Folly Road, saying the stretch was selected based on crash data. "When we have a location that has over 2,000 crashes and 6 fatalities in a 3 year span, we we think that's an issue that we gotta try to address," said Sean Sally, SCDOT program manager for traffic safety, explaining the agency's rationale for proposing medians alongside intersection, sidewalk and signal work.

SCDOT's consulting engineer described how staff gather intersection counts, grow volumes to an opening year and project 20 years out to model level of service with and without the proposed changes. The team said medians are meant primarily to reduce angle (T-bone) crashes by restricting certain left-turn movements while retaining protected left-in and U-turn options at signal locations. The presentation also listed complementary measures — resurfacing, pedestrian crossings, enhanced signals and sidewalks — as part of the safety package.

Agency staff acknowledged community concern about access, deliveries and emergency response and said they have already reduced the number of median blocks in the concept. "If it boils down to it... we gotta remove that median, we'll we'll take it out," Sally told the meeting, adding that SCDOT would run additional traffic studies and work with the town and stakeholders before advancing full design. The agency said its current schedule does not show construction until late 2027.

Why it matters: SCDOT framed the project as a data-driven safety intervention tied to federal funding priorities for countermeasures that score high on crash-reduction metrics. But residents and business owners pushed for alternatives and for more neighborhood-specific study before final commitments are made.