Rethink Folly Road
THE LATEST
As of October 2023, the Charleston County project manager for Phase 1 improvements (from Ellis Creek to Wilton Street) reports that right of way negotiations are being finalized, which means the County expects to put Phase 1 out for bid in the first quarter of 2024.
DESCRIPTION
Rethink Folly Road is a multi-jurisdictional plan to improve the Folly Road corridor, developed with the community and officially adopted in 2016. This new vision for Folly Road focuses on making the street safe, connected, sustainable, actively commercial, and coordinated. With the plan in place, implementation is guided by the Rethink Folly Road Steering Committee. Charleston Moves serves on this committee, alongside property and business owners, partnering nonprofits, and staff and elected officials from the Town of James Island, City of Charleston, Charleston County, City of Folly Beach, BCDCOG, and the state legislature. You can view the Steering Committee’s progress map here.
HISTORY
Rethink Folly Road was approved in 2016. The Steering Committee began meeting immediately, and by November 2017, identified Phase 1 as the segment of Folly Road with the highest collision rates. Phase 1 begins at Ellis Creek, and extends just past Wal Mart to Wilton Street. Working together to earn funding from the 2016 Half-Cent Sales Tax (TST), federal dollars, the Town of James Island and the City of Charleston, a design has been developed for wide sidewalks, three improved intersection crossings, wider bike lanes with intermittent green paint, and an improved transit stop. The improvements are now ready for construction, as the project team finalizes right of way negotiations with property owners. It will go out to bid soon.
As part of the Folly Road zoning overlay (passed by the City, Town and County), the Steering Committee developed an updated requirement for redevelopment projects to install a 12’ multiuse path along their parcel’s frontage. This requirement was updated into the Overlay, and is flexible depending on each property’s context. Because of this overlay requirement, many parcels along the corridor now have paths that will someday link together. As each redevelopment opportunity goes through required permitting, Charleston Moves staff monitors the project and ensures each property owner does their path.
