Wednesday is the final day for public input on Lowcountry Rapid Transit System

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The Lowcountry could soon see the state’s first rapid bus transit system.

Officials are more than halfway through the 12-year plan, and say the route will connect communities across the region safely and for a low cost.

Charleston City Councilman, Mike Seekings, says the public has until the end of Wednesday, May 26, to log on to the 24-hour virtual meeting and give their feedback.

The system would be a new alternative to tens-of-thousands of people. It will have 20 stops, and 19 vehicles along a 21.5 mile corridor.

It is mapped out to travel along Highway 78 and Highway 52, ultimately connecting the Fairgrounds in Ladson to the Medical District in downtown Charleston.

A full trip would take an hour and the bus would have it’s own lane to help prevent traffic jams.

The project is expected to cost over $300 million and half of that money will come from Charleston County taxpayers.

Since April 26, officials have held 24-hour virtual meetings, 7 days a week to get the community involved in the project. According to Seekings, the community’s input has been very helpful and positive.

“It’s going to be affordable, it’s going to be a reliable system, it’s called Lowcountry Rapid Transit for a reason,” said Seekings. “The feedback that we’ve gotten has been overwhelmingly positive, it has been constructive, it has been instructive and it will be very useful as we come to the final design of the project.”

If everything goes as planned, the Lowcountry could see the system up and running by 2026. However, Seekings says the groundbreaking for the project could come as early as 2023.

Here’s a link to the virutal meeting.