Island Park Drive and Fairchild Street intersection set for improvements

The Island Park Drive- Fairchild Street intersection is set to see a handful of improvements throughout the coming months. The project will consist of two phases.

The first is meant to be a temporary solution to increase pedestrian safety at the intersection. It will add more visible pedestrian crosswalks and solar powered flashing lights to the walkways to better alert drivers to foot traffic.

“That will help make sure that we’ve got something happening in that area, while we wait for phase two to be completed,” said City of Charleston Councilman Gary White.

White said that phase two of the project will take longer to complete, but will end with a traffic signal at the intersection. “It could take up to eight months from the time we order those arm masts [for traffic signals],” he said. “They have to be special ordered and fabricated.”

Phase one funding came from donations from local businesses, while funding for phase two of the project came from an admissions tax at venues such as the Family Circle Tennis Center and the Blackbaud Stadium. “An admissions tax then comes back as a proportionate amount to the city, but it has to be used exclusively for the purposes of improvements in the area that are tied to, in some form or fashion, to the area near Family Circle and Governors Park,” said White. Phase one’s total cost was $27,980 and phase two will cost an estimated $300,000, according to City of Charleston Department of Traffic and Transportation Director Keith Benjamin.

“The support of our business community in this initiative was a wonderful testament to the partnerships on Daniel Island and how working together we can achieve more for our residents,” said Daniel Island Property Owners’ Association Vice President of Community Services Jane Baker.

The improvements to the intersection were decided after a traffic study of the road crossing. “I started to get calls from parents and community members who were concerned about this intersection,” said White. “With the amount of development that’s occurring in the Town Center area, there’s really going to be a need to study the area as a whole around traffic and transportation. This is really the beginning stages of looking at other things.”

Daniel Island Neighborhood Association President Marie Delcioppo says that the improvements to the intersection will “benefit individuals whether they are walking, cycling, or driving throughout our community.”

Gas station Refuel sits at the intersection that will see the improvements. The business is one of the contributors to the project’s first phase. “Refuel set out to be a family friendly spot for gathering on DI,” said Refuel owner Mark Jordan. “It makes us really happy to see kids and bikes on the porches there and when I found out from Jane Baker that the City would install a light if we would help financially, the answer was, of course, yes. The light will make it safer and more orderly.”