The goal of this project is to relieve traffic congestion on Glenn McConnell Parkway by widening the road from four-to-six lanes between Bees Ferry Road and Magwood Drive.
This project also intends to improve bike and pedestrian facilities through the addition of a multi-use path allowing safe pedestrian access across the CSX Railway.
The County will examine various improvement alternatives that would ease traffic congestion while remaining sensitive to existing site conditions such as drainage.
| Phase 1 | West Bound shoulder work from Bees Ferry to Magwood. |
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| Phase 2 | Median and East Bound shoulder work from Bees Ferry to Magwood. |
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| Phase 3 | Shared-Use Path installation adjacent to East Bound Lanes |
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Construction was substantially completed March 26, 2024. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony took place April 2, 2024. Due to material fabrication delays, the County’s contractor will install decorative pedestrian poles, push buttons, and signal heads at the intersections of Mary Ader Avenue/West Wildcat Boulevard and Bairds Cove/Waterstone Lane in August of 2024. Project overhead lighting will be installed by Dominion Energy and is slated to begin in August 2024.
Charleston County Council approved $25,000,000 from the 2016 Transportation Sales Tax to fund the design and construction of this project.
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Glenn McConnell Parkway is located directly adjacent to the Church Creek drainage basin, which has known flooding issues. The above exhibit illustrates the existing drainage patterns along Glenn McConnell Parkway with respect to the Church Creek drainage basin.
This drainage exhibit demonstrates that most of Glenn McConnell Parkway drains via stormwater pipes and open ditches to Long Branch, which currently has no connection to the Church Creek basin. A portion of Glenn McConnell Parkway, from Bees Ferry Road to just east of the existing bridges at the CSX railway, drains to the Church Creek basin.
The design includes the installation of control structures in the roadside ditches. The roadside ditches will hold stormwater, slowly releasing the water into the Church Creek and Long Branch drainage basins. These structures will ensure that the widening project does not have a negative effect on the existing drainage. The drainage system will meet the City of Charleston’s stormwater design standards for special protection areas with known flooding issues.
The City of Charleston is currently evaluating the possibility of providing an emergency relief connection from Lake Dotterer to Long Branch. This is a separate project from the Glenn McConnell Parkway widening, but the County is collaborating with the City as their evaluation continues.
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Bees Ferry Road
West Ashley Traffic Circle
William E. Murray Boulevard and Good Will Way
West Wildcat Boulevard and Mary Ader Avenue
Lochhaven Drive and Stuhr Funeral Chapel
Baird's Cove and Waterstone Lane
Spring at Essex Farms
Essex Farm Drive