Changes made to Long Point Road Interchange project help with noise pollution
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD)- A much-needed road project in Mount Pleasant has gone through some changes after people living in the area complained about potential noise pollution.
Long Point Road is a highly congested area of Mount Pleasant and gets even worse when cargo trucks are lined up to go to the port.
“The state recognized that the port has a huge impact on the interchange,” TOMP Director of Engineering, Brad Morrison said.
The cargo ships take over Long Point Road during drop-off times, an issue that has been causing frustration with drivers for years.
However, working with SCDOT, the town’s engineers came up with a plan to build a separate exit off of Interstate 526 that the cargo trucks could use to alleviate some of the traffic, but that plan didn’t sit well with residents.
“Some of those concerns of course were how are you going to protect the citizens and the residents from sound intrusion, some of the concerns were about access to neighborhoods,” Morrison said.
The public spoke out about the issues they had with the initial plan, and that led to SCDOT redesigning it, changing where the cargo trucks will exit.
“So they’ll now come out and go right to the middle of the interstate, they’ll make that a lane,” Mayor of Mount Pleasant, Will Haynie said.
There will also be noise walls… To mitigate the sound coming from the cargo trucks…
“We got everything out of the redesign that we wanted,” Haynie said.
A plan that the town says they’re confident people will be excited about, “I think since the department took a lot of time to listen and to change their plans in accordance to what people were expressing their concerns, I think they will be very pleased with the final product. Sound walls were a big issue and I think once they decided to put those in it made more people comfortable,” Morrison said.
The project will start in the spring of 2025 and last 4 to 5 years.
Town council is expected to vote on final approval next Tuesday.
