Charleston County voters have made it clear: they prioritize our Sea Islands, Settlement Communities, and Lowcountry way of life more than a destructive road project.
The Coastal Conservation League is proud of voters who stood up for our environment, community, and future by voting down the unbalanced and unfair 2024 special sales and use tax.
We now have an opportunity to come together to select and implement priority traffic solutions while the current half-cent sales tax comes to fulfillment. Before the current tax expires in 2027, we have an opportunity to prioritize the highest-need road projects that will address traffic congestion today. We look forward to working with citizens and Charleston County to come together to decide what road projects should be prioritized to create a better referendum in 2026 — one that prioritizes the completion of effective traffic solutions, restores the Greenbelt program’s purchasing power, supports public transit, considers flooding on our roadways, and promotes pedestrian safety.
In the meantime, we hope to see Charleston County complete the projects on the 2016 referendum project list, such as the Main Road Flyover and Main Road Segment C projects. In addition, the County should recommit to Main Road Segment B, an area that will need improvements to help the Main Road Flyover function to its full potential. There also must be a stronger emphasis on targeted, less expensive road and intersection improvements that would help traffic flow effectively, like completing the southern pitchfork on Maybank Highway.
In addition, as we traveled the County, we heard the clarion call of community members seeking pedestrian safety measures, such as sidewalks along Sol Legare Road on James Island, and along byways through North Charleston. These priority safety measures must be funded for the safety and security of County residents.
The Conservation League is grateful for all of the community members who worked tirelessly in this effort — signing postcards, sharing social media posts, putting up yard signs, writing letters to the editor, passing out flyers, joining rallies and press conferences, and educating your friends and neighbors — all to protect the unique character of our beloved Lowcountry from destructive interstates and suburban sprawl.
We look forward to working together for smarter solutions for our communities.