I-526 widening project director reveals results of environmental impact study

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Officials say the I-526 Lowcountry Corridor widening project is one of the most important road projects in South Carolina.

This morning, the project director gave an update on the project’s status and what leaders are planning to do to help those who will lose their homes due to the road widening.

It’s one of the most crowded highways in South Carolina, and it seems to get busier every day.

“It’s a huge quality of life issue for people who live and work in the area,” SCDOT Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall said.

The I-526 Lowcountry Corridor is a bridge to the Charleston region but sees more daily congestion than most roads.

Hall says it will only worsen as the state’s population grows, “South Carolina is the fastest growing state in the nation according to the U.S. Census Bureau.”

To relieve some of that day-to-day stress on drivers, SCDOT is working to widen the road, a project that has been in the works for several years.

Monday morning, the project director, Kit Scott, gave an update on the environmental impacts; a study dot is required to complete when they use federal funds to build roads.

“We received our neba document, which is an environmental document with a list of commitments in it, so we’ve started to work on all of those commitments,” Scott said.

The widening project will displace several neighborhoods along 526, including Highland Terrace, Liberty Park, Russeldale, and Ferndale.

However, SCDOT is working to mitigate those losses for families by providing scholarships to college-aged residents.

“Either 4-year, 2-year, or tech schools,” Scott said.

Scott says they’re also preparing affordable housing for those displaced by the project.

“We’re looking to make sure we really do right with this next construction project and whenever we’re widening and impacting neighborhoods, that we’re doing the next right thing,” Scott said.

SCDOT is hosting a community feedback meeting on April 27th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the new community center on Rivers Avenue to allow people impacted by the project to express any concerns they may have.