Click to enlarge
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 over the existing bridges at the CSX railway, drains to the Church Creek basin.
The Project Team will design the proposed road widening and associated drainage infrastructure so that the Church Creek and Long Branch drainage basins have no negative impacts.
The public comment period for the December 3, 2018 meeting closed on January 31, 2019. Below is a summary of the comments received.
The Project Team received 292 comments during the 59-day period: 74 paper and 218 online.
Based on the comments received and the engineering analysis, the Project Team will move forward with the Inside/Outside Widening design.
The table below presents the reoccurring themes that public found important for this project:
The Project Team will address each important factor as follows:
The Inside/Outside Widening design will maintain a grass median, and should preserve the majority of the existing trees. However, some selective tree removal may take place to accommodate the new road widening. The Project Team will work with the City to mitigate any removed trees.
The most recent traffic counts indicate the need for a traffic signal at the intersection of Glenn McConnell Parkway and Essex Farms Drive to improve safety and functionality. The Project Team plans to include the signalization of this intersection in the Inside/Outside Widening design. The preliminary design improvements planned for the intersection may include dual left turns from Glenn McConnell Parkway, a right turn into Essex Farms Drive, and dual right turns out of Essex Farms Drive. However, these plans are subject to change as the design progresses.
This project will include the installation of a 10-12 foot shared-use path from Bees Ferry Road to Magwood Drive. The path will accommodate both bicyclists and pedestrians along the south (West Ashley High School) side of Glenn McConnell Parkway. The Project Team will work to provide as much space as possible between the shared-use path and the roadway, while remaining within the right of way and avoiding drainage and wetland impacts.
Charleston County will design the drainage system to ensure that the widening of Glenn McConnell Parkway does not adversely affect drainage in the area. More details on the proposed drainage system improvements will be determined as the design progresses.
The City of Charleston’s 2017 Church Creek Drainage Basin Study recommended the addition of a new culvert crossing to connect Lake Dotterer (part of the Church Creek Basin) to Long Branch Creek. This would divert stormwater from the lake to Long Branch Creek during rain events. The City is currently studying what impact this new crossing would have on areas downstream of Long Branch Creek to the Stono River. Charleston County has agreed to install the pipe connection as part of the Glenn McConnell if:
If the widening project does not include this connection, the Project Team will make sure that the improvements allow for the installation of this pipe in the future.
Charleston County is working with the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) to improve the existing transit stops along the corridor, while investigating the need for additional stops. The Project Team will also look at the feasibility of installing bus pullouts, bus shelters and/or benches at select locations.
If the budget allows, construction may include building up the paved shoulders to the same pavement thickness as the road, known as full-depth. Typically, shoulders are not required to have the same pavement thickness as the roadway because they do not experience the same daily traffic volume. By constructing full-depth shoulders, the roadway becomes better prepared for the possibility of bus rapid transit (BRT). Should Glenn McConnell Parkway become a candidate for BRT in the future, the entirety of the road will have the ability to accommodate additional vehicular traffic.
As part of the environmental process, the Project Team is conducting a noise study to model and analyze noise levels along the Glenn McConnell Parkway corridor under the existing and future conditions. This study is currently undergoing traffic noise modeling based on Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) standards. The modeling will reveal if the widening of Glenn McConnell Parkway warrants any noise abatement measures and, if warranted, will make recommendations for noise abatement measures. The Project Team plans to publish the results of the noise model in the 4th quarter of 2019.
While the project scope does not include any improvements to Bees Ferry Road, the Project Team is analyzing the possibility of installing a 3rd left turn lane on Glenn McConnell Parkway to Bees Ferry Road based on the traffic counts at this intersection. It has yet to be determined if this will be feasible.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) maintains Glenn McConnell Parkway and sets the speed limits. They review the speed limit of a road by performing speed studies. Based on the completion of several speed studies, the SCDOT does not anticipate lowering the current speed limit(s) on Glenn McConnell Parkway. Click here to review the results of SCDOT’s most recent speed study.
Charleston County is coordinating with the City of Charleston on the potential for installing streetlights along the corridor, as the City would ultimately be responsible for them once the project is complete. The installation of streetlights along Glenn McConnell Parkway depends on the remaining funds of the project after construction, and their operating and maintenance costs. The Project Team will know more about the potential for streetlights in the final design phase.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge