Residents call for faster improvements to Reflectance Drive intersection

Blue lights flash so often at the intersection of Clements Ferry Road and Reflectance Drive that many nearby residents say they no longer slow down to look – they already know what happened. 

Another crash. Another ambulance. Another close call. 

After a fatal wreck there in April involving an SUV and an 18-wheeler, frustration among Cainhoy and Huger residents is boiling over.  

According to South Carolina Department of Transportation public engagement director Kelly Moore, construction on the intersection improvement project at Highway 41 and Reflectance Drive is “currently anticipated to begin in 2028.” 

For people who drive the corridor every day, that timeline feels painfully far away. 

“This intersection needs a stop light,” said resident Wade Malloch, who says he has witnessed crashes there for years. “The speed needs to be reduced to 35 mph as well. You have businesses and churches right at that intersection.” 

The April 17 crash marked the seventh fatal traffic-related collision investigated by the Charleston Police Department in 2026. The collision involved an SUV and an 18-wheeler near Reflectance Drive. The SUV driver died. 

Residents say wrecks happen there constantly – sometimes multiple times a week – as traffic volumes surge along a road system many believe was never designed for the explosive growth now pouring into Cainhoy, Huger and surrounding developments. 

“I use that intersection daily and the accidents I have witnessed are quite disparaging,” Malloch said. “The population has grown beyond relief for that intersection.” 

He noted Huger had fewer than 1,000 residents just over a decade ago and is now nearing 7,000, with several new neighborhoods still planned. 

“That intersection is the main thoroughfare for Huger and all traffic using Highway 41 heading north or south,” he said. “During rush hour it’s quite difficult to turn left or right.” 

Many residents blame a combination of speeding, congestion, distracted driving, and the awkward geometry of the intersection itself. 

“The intersection doesn’t line up,” Malloch said. “Drivers coming from Halfway Creek or Reflectance Drive are not directly across from one another, probably offset by 20 feet, which makes it challenging for some.” 

Berkeley County Councilman Jarrod Brooks agreed the layout is part of the problem. 

“Reflectance approaches Highway 41 at a weird angle,” Brooks said. “That causes a lot of driver mistakes in part because the design – it’s got a lot more traffic on it now than it was probably originally designed for.” 

Brooks said he would support redesigning the intersection to straighten the approach, aiming for “at least a roundabout, if not a traffic signal,” he said. 

Moore said the project is still in the early development phase, with project analysis and preferred plans expected to be presented for public review by the end of this year. 

“I’m sure Representative Mark Smith and I both will be pressing for an earlier start,” Brooks said. “It is a dangerous area, and the statistics tell the story.” He added that if construction could begin in 2027, “that would meet my expectations.” 

Still, residents say they are tired of hearing about studies while crashes continue piling up. 

“Maybe Reflectance should be temporarily closed until improvements are complete,” Clements Ferry resident Kelly Davis said. “Too many drivers are distracted, impatient, and trying to rush through that intersection.” 

Nelliefield resident Isaac Owens said, “At peak hours, it’s almost impossible to turn left from Reflectance. Sometimes I take the extra minute and go down to the stop light. It’sactually faster and way less dangerous.”  

Others say the issues go beyond the intersection itself. 

Reflectance Drive is marked for “Local Deliveries Only,” but residents say tractor-trailers regularly ignore the restriction and use the road as a shortcut between Clements Ferry Road and Highway 41. 

“The other issues at hand are all big trucks that come through there and cut through Reflectance,” Malloch said. “Heck, even Greyhound buses cut through there daily.” 

Nearby Charity Church Road residents say truck traffic has become relentless. 

“I can attest to the persistent issue with 18-wheelers ignoring the no trucks signs,” resident Laura Bennett said. “I can’t believe the lack of enforcement and concern for the safety of residents. How many more wrecks need to happen before something changes?” 

In the meantime, Brooks said driver awareness remains a major factor in many of the crashes. 

“The road doesn’t cause the accident and the car doesn’t cause the accident, typically,” Brooks said. “It’s the driver.” 

Still, he said the intersection’s current design is struggling to keep up with the area’s rapid growth, and he plans to continue working with state officials and pressing SCDOT for answers in hopes of accelerating improvements to prevent more fatal crashes.