NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – The South Carolina Department of Transportation is looking for the community’s input as developers continue to move forward with the I-526 Lowcountry Corridor West Project.
There will be a community mitigation meeting in North Charleston Saturday where project directors will update the public on their plan and give them time to ask questions.
According to the project’s official website, it would span approximately 9.7 miles between Paul Cantrell Boulevard in West Ashley and Virginia Avenue in North Charleston.
Project Director Joy Riley says the purpose of the meeting is to update the public on the community mitigation plan. Riley says this is their way of creating benefits for the communities that will be directly impacted by the project.
Russelldale, Ferndale, Liberty Park and Highland Terrace are the communities that will be directly impacted. These are predominantly minority communities.
Riley says over the last three years they have been checking in with those communities and are trying to make sure the community mitigation plan addresses their concerns.
Residents have shared one of their biggest concerns is losing their homes due to the widening of the 526/I-26 interchange.
Riley says a lot of the programs in the community mitigation plan are focused on increasing things like generational wealth, building affordable housing, scholarships, and job training opportunities.
About 100 households will be torn down for this project. Riley says construction won’t get started until all residents have been relocated to replacement housing they are planning on building.
“We are planning on building 100 new apartment units that are affordable but also 45 single-family lots with single-family homes, and a first-time home buyer grant program that helps those folks that are low income,” Riley says.
Although widening the interstate will get rid of homes in the area, officials believe it will help limit travel times, congestion and more.
Devin Clark, a West Ashley resident, says he sees accidents all the time on the 526/I-26 interchange, and it often takes 20 minutes or more to go a few miles. Clark says he’s happy SCDOT is planning on doing something about it.
Saturday’s meeting starts at 10 a.m. at the Ferndale Community Center in North Charleston.
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