AUDITS: CALHOUN STREET, KING STREET (Broad to Huger), MEETING STREET (South of Line), ST. PHILIP STREET
History + The Latest
In 2018, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) shared that Meeting Street below Line Street, King Street below Line Street, Calhoun Street and St. Philip Street are the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th most dangerous roads in the state for people walking and bicycling, respectively. The agency, in coordination with stakeholders including Charleston Moves, the City of Charleston, the College of Charleston, BCDCOG, the Medical District and others, conducted Road Safety Audits for the four corridors. You can review the audit data at the buttons above.
After developing reports and conceptual designs, SCDOT hosted a public meeting and 30-day comment period in August 2022. You can see SCDOT’s concepts that were reviewed by the public here.
Many of you participated in that public process. After it closed, concerns were raised by a small number of constituents with specific opposition to SCDOT’s proposed buffered bike lane on King Street, that would run from Calhoun Street to almost Broad Street. From December 2022 through March 2023, a new concept was developed by the City of Charleston, BCDCOG, College of Charleston, the King Street Business Improvement District (BID), lower King Street business owners, and the Charleston Downtown Alliance without public engagement or engagement with other entities that participated in the audits.
On July 18, 2023, SCDOT gave brief presentations to the City of Charleston’s Traffic & Transportation Committee, then full Council. This was followed by a discussion among Council of the City’s new concept, which had not previously been made public and still was not shown publicly during the meeting. Because of pushback from the public and members of council, the Traffic & Transportation Committee hosted a public comment opportunity on the new concept, which was revealed as a 14′ shared use lane with no bicycle infrastructure — unprecedented and unsafe. The public overwhelmingly opposed the new concept (98% of the comments supported or did not oppose the bike lane), as did members of council. Nonetheless, the Committee recommended the unsafe concept to full Council. At the August 15, 2023 Council meeting, despite majority support for a bike lane, Council deferred to receive more information. Two council members in particular wanted to hear from the “stakeholders,” who they define as business/property owners on lower King, and who already met privately with the City to develop the unsafe 14′ travel lane plan. Ultimately, Mayor Tecklenburg signed off on SCDOT’s King Street bike lane plan.
Mayor Cogswell took office in 2024, and signed a new agreement with SCDOT, cutting King Street below Calhoun Street from the project.
As of 2026, SCDOT has awarded the construction bid for improvements to: Meeting Street below Line Street; King Street from Line Street to Calhoun Street; St. Philip Street; Calhoun Street.
King Street (Huger to Line) Road Safety Review
History + The Latest
On March 26, 2021, SCDOT convened Charleston Moves, City of Charleston and the BCDCOG to assess King Street between Huger and Line Streets. SCDOT prepared a formal report (here) that includes observations and recommendations discussed on our walk.
On August 10, 2021, the Charleston County Transportation Committee (CTC) approved funding for SCDOT’s safety and traffic operations study for King Street between Line and Huger, as recommended in the Safety Review. Charleston Moves and business owners submitted letters of support.
In 2023, Charleston Moves conducted bike/ped counts in this section of King Street. The report is here.
As of May 2025, the City of Charleston submitted a request for 2026 CTC funding to actually construct recommendations from the study.