Neighborhood council moves to oppose SCDOT medians on Volley Road as residents raise safety and access concerns

Councilman Troy Mullenax reported that the town passed a resolution asking the South Carolina Department of Transportation not to install medians on Volley Road. "We passed a resolution to tell the, South Carolina DOT that we do not want medians, on Volley Road," he said, and added that the general assembly appoints DOT commissioners, framing state‑level engagement as a necessary advocacy route.

At the neighborhood meeting residents and business owners voiced multiple concerns. Long‑time Centerville resident Marilyn Clifford said medians would create safety and emergency‑response problems and urged organized outreach: "If this was any way beneficial to our island, I would be a 100% behind it." Business owner Trace Mallon said medians would be "devastating" for commerce and suggested alternatives including stoplights, pedestrian crosswalks and interconnectivity between properties to reduce curb cuts. Participants noted that medians installed elsewhere, such as Ashley Phosphate Road, have forced drivers into longer detours and risky maneuvers, and called for traffic counts, accident studies and targeted local solutions rather than a blanket median plan.

Residents organized petitions (business, townwide, Centerville and Bayfront petitions), a letter for officials and a target date for compiling outreach materials. Dr. Steven Shapiro encouraged personalized emails over cookie‑cutter letters and asked residents and businesses to document impacts before the Feb. 19 deadline the group discussed. The neighborhood council did not provide an SCDOT response at the meeting; several speakers noted the plan was not yet finalized but said the window for input was closing.