Treating growing pains as population soars: Are we doing enough?
On a typical day on Clements Ferry Road, it can take residents up to an hour or more to travel less than 15 miles. This can become extremely frustrating for those traversing the popular thoroughfare, as made evident by multiple community members’ comments on the “Clements Ferry Residents for Safer Roads” Facebook page.
One humorous resident posted, “As I sit here stuck in traffic on Clements Ferry it has really made me appreciate the beautiful trees and landscaping that we are lucky enough to surround our little community with. That’s on one hand...on the other hand I would gladly set fire to each one of them so the city can put up about ten more lanes of traffic. I HATE THIS ROAD!”
Another exclaimed that, “CFR headed SB towards 526 backed up past Tailgators (sic)!!”
These posts are not hard to come by, as residents are forced to face the traffic and, as local business owner Janet Wright explained, “road rage” daily.
“My business and church are right on Clements Ferry Road and my husband is the pastor at the church,” said Wright, who lives in Huger. “Sometimes the traffic is backed up past the church. The address for the church is 1527 and my business is 2500 and sometimes it takes me 30 minutes or more just to get there. It’s about two or three miles. It’s pretty bad. There’s so much road rage. We just try to be patient.”
Significant problems with traffic in the area, the increase in the building of new residential communities, and the fact that growth data released by the Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) estimates that Berkeley County will have the highest growth in the area over the next two decades, have left many wondering what the County is doing to combat this issue. The BCDCOG recently presented results of a draft summary of its “Comprehensive Plan 5-Year Review” for the County to the Berkeley County Council for review.
Because of the location of Daniel Island and the Cainhoy community, BCDCOG Planning Director Kathryn Basha explained it is especially difficult to alleviate traffic in the area.
“The County continuously strives to ensure that infrastructure throughout the County can support the levels of growth that have occurred in the urbanized areas,” said Basha. “Given that the Cainhoy/DI [area] is surrounded by water and reliant on one interstate and one principal artery [Clements Ferry Road], it’s a challenge to ensure adequate mobility for the mix of cars and freight in the area. Focused infrastructure investments by the County have been in planning, as well as building road improvements, particularly Clements Ferry Road, that will support the amount of development that has occurred and is planned.”
Will the improvements be enough to ease already existing growing pains and future growth within the County? Basha emphasized that while the County is already playing catch-up for the unanticipated boom over the past two decades, projects are in place to hopefully help with the problem.
“The [Daniel Island/Cainhoy] area has grown more rapidly with residential population than anticipated 20 years ago, when the Clements Ferry Road corridor was expected to be an employment/industrial area,” said Basha. “As a result, the improvements that are being constructed from Jack Primus to I-526 and in the design phases for Jack Primus to SC-41 will help to alleviate the growing pains that the area has already experienced and the growth that is projected.”
But for County Councilman for District 2 Josh Whitley, the County has not done enough.
“In my estimation, there has been poor management in years past,” said Whitley, a Daniel Island resident. “The County has more development agreements than it can properly manage. This is why several members of council are balking at further development agreements until we can properly manage the ones we have.”
Many are apprehensive that when it comes to handling the County’s projected growth, the current infrastructure may not be adequate, added Whitley.
“Several of us are concerned we do not have the proper infrastructure in place to manage growth and likely cannot catch up to it unless the legislature streamlines DOT and provides more resources to the Counties,” said Whitley. “Thankfully, Berkeley County has had the 1 cent sales tax for roads since 2009 and that is the only reason we are able to expand Clements Ferry at this point.”
Recent actions by the County do indicate that steps are being taken to aid in alleviating the area’s growing pains. On Aug. 28, the Council voted 5-3 to decline a development agreement for a major development on the Hwy. 52 corridor.
“I am proud we are such a desirable place to live and work and there are unavoidable growing pains, but we must manage development better and I am proud the County is attempting to do just that,” added Whitley on the Coun-cil’s recent decision.
To view the BCDCOG growth draft summary for Berkeley County, visit http://berkeleycountysc.iqm2.com/citizens/fileopen.aspx?Type=1&ID=2621&I... (see pages 14 to 27 for specific growth information).