THE LATEST

In 2025, the Town of Mount Pleasant submitted a USDOT SS4A application for implementation grant funding for Whipple Road improvements, but it was not selected. Charleston Moves has included Whipple Road on our bike/ped project suggestion list for a potential County Transportation Sales Tax (TST) extension. 

DESCRIPTION

Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), USDOT has set up a discretionary grant program called Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) for municipalities and planning organizations. There are planning/demonstration grants (including to develop a comprehensive Safety Action Plan) and implementation grants (in order to qualify for implementation grants, an applicant must have a comprehensive Safety Action Plan in place). 

The Town of Mount Pleasant budgeted for and developed a town-wide Safety Action Plan, finalized in June 2023. Also in 2023, the Town applied for and was awarded SS4A implementation funding for 17 prioritized safety improvement projects identified in the Plan. These projects must be completed within five years:

• Long Point Road/Belle Hall Area Access Management & Multimodal Improvements – includes Mount Pleasant Way from I-526 to Whipple Road. 
• Coleman Boulevard/Ben Sawyer Boulevard Access Management (Phase 1) – includes Mount Pleasant Way between Pherigo and Center 
• Houston Northcutt Road/Johnnie Dodds Boulevard Access Management 
• US 17 Access Management between Ira Road and Hungryneck Boulevard
• US 17 Access Management between Hungryneck Boulevard and Six Mile Road 
• US 17 Access Management between Long Point Road and Carolina Park Boulevard 
• Chuck Dawley Boulevard/I-526 Business Spur Access Management
• Bowman Road at US 17 Interchange & Hospital Rd Improvements
• S Shelmore Blvd and Johnnie Dodds Blvd Frontage Road (North)
• US 17 and Snee Farm Parkway/Palmetto Plantation Blvd
• Chuck Dawley Blvd and Ben Sawyer Blvd/Coleman Blvd Intersection Improvements
• Town-wide Signal Upgrades (Tier 1) – 20 priority locations
• Mathis Ferry Rd Non-Motorized Improvements – Mount Pleasant Way from Eagle to Venning
• Rifle Range Non-Motorized Improvements (Phase 1) – Mount Pleasant Way from Ben Sawyer to Venning
• Rifle Range Non-Motorized Improvements (Phase 2) – Mount Pleasant Way from Venning to IOP Connector
• Town-wide Transit Facility Upgrades – 20 priority stops
• Town-wide Pedestrian Facility Upgrades (Phase 1) – 10 priority locations

HISTORY

South Carolina, and the Charleston region in particular, consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous places in the nation for people on bicycles, foot, and in motor vehicles, based on crash rates. The most vulnerable travelers among us are those who are bicycling or walking, with and without assistive devices. And in South Carolina, Black and senior communities experience a disproportionate impact.

Over the past few years, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has created a Complete Streets Departmental Directive and a statewide Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Action Plan. Charleston Moves participated in the development of both documents. SCDOT has been conducting Road Safety Audits along corridors throughout the state with the highest crash rates, and has proposed safety improvements to address some of the collision hotspots. 

Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), USDOT has set up a discretionary grant program called Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) for municipalities and planning organizations. There are planning/demonstration grants (including to develop a comprehensive Safety Action Plan) and implementation grants (in order to qualify for implementation grants, an applicant must have a comprehensive Safety Action Plan in place). 

Charleston Moves participated on the Town of Mount Pleasant’s advisory committee for the creation of its Safety Action Plan, and provided relevant reports from our Close Calls Database.