Charleston County Transportation Sales Tax

Our Countywide Bike/Ped Project List
Our Guiding Principles Summary
Our Guiding Principles White Paper
Our City of Charleston Bike/Ped Project Map
Our City of North Charleston Bike/Ped Project Map
Our Town of Mount Pleasant Bike/Ped Project Map
Our Rural + Beach Communities Bike/Ped Project Map

THE LATEST

Visit our Get Involved page for upcoming calls to take action and details for in-person meetings and county presentations.

See our lists and maps of suggested bicycle- and pedestrian-specific project locations at the buttons above. We provided these to the county in January 2026. 

On February 19, Charleston County Council approved a draft potential Transportation Sales Tax (TST) program to go out to the public for your review and input. Out of a total of $4.25 billion in the proposal, $75 million is allocated directly for bike/ped over 25 years, with another $860 million allocated directly for public transit over 25 years. You can see the full list of the current proposal HERE. Make sure to complete their latest survey, HERE. 

We believe a quality 2026 TST proposal — leveraged with federal, state, and other funding sources — can get us the Charleston County that we all want to live and thrive in. One where we move and recreate how we choose, with equitable access and safe, healthy residents. But, it has to be balanced, thoughtful, and provide a true benefit to all community members!

A few things we’d like to see changed in the current draft:

  • public transit and bike/ped categories need funding increases;
  • an official policy commitment needs to be included, recognizing that all infrastructure project installation will incorporate complete streets elements as contextually appropriate;
  • the vision for greenbelt investment (a 3x multiplier of the prior TST’s allocation) needs to be presented with more clarity; 
  • the spending plan for the bike/ped improvements subcategory​ (i.e. annual disbursement rate and schedule) needs to be outlined;
  • brief project scopes and improvement descriptions need to be included for all the featured and intersection projects, so voters see where bike, pedestrian and transit access is incorporated, as well as the geographic limits of each project.

We cannot overstate the importance of a robust bike/ped improvements program; safe and connected bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is an urgent, widespread need. According to a 2024 report by Smart Growth America (based on data from 2018-2022), Charleston-North Charleston is the ninth most deadly metro region for pedestrians in the nation, with South Carolina ranking third most deadly in the nation. Charleston County tops the state. If there is not strong investment in the bike/ped category, more and more residents will be killed. This potential $4.25 billion offers a real chance to do something about it. 

Our request for the development of a countywide bike/ped master plan is presently included. If you’ve yet to sign our petition, please do so! 

DESCRIPTION

Charleston County is weighing whether to put a transportation sales tax (TST) extension on the 2026 ballot. Chernoff Newman, Trust for Public Land, Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG), and former SCDOT Secretary Christy Hall are assisting county officials with data assessment, education and public outreach, and more. There is a website, updated with information as it becomes available, HERE. County Council has created a special TST committee, and during that committee’s first meeting in September 2025, they decided to gather input from the municipalities and the public through November (since extended through January 2026).

In January 2026, County Council’s special TST committee received a presentation from their consultants that summarized public input so far. Some high points:

  • Survey produced nearly 29k comments from 2,486 respondents
  • Separate public opinion poll was conducted to 693 respondents
  • Themes: congestion, growth, cautious support of a TST extension to directly address congestion and growth if visible results are delivered. Safety also identified as a top issue, with bike/ped improvements identified as urgent and not just “nice to have.” 
  • 634 specific project location requests were submitted, at an estimated total cost of $68B 
  • 230 specific road projects, 200 bike/ped projects, 90 transit projects, and 100 greenbelt projects were suggested

The team suggested some guiding principles to govern the development of a potential TST referendum going forward, based on public input. Council unanimously voted to direct staff to present more detailed suggestions at an upcoming workshop. Council subsequently approved the same directive at both their Special Finance Committee and full council meetings that evening. The public input report can be found here. Survey findings include:

  • 53% survey respondents find “Transit service expansion & Lowcountry Rapid Transit (LCRT)” important/very important
  • 66% survey respondents find “Bike & pedestrian network (closing gaps, improving safety)” important/very important
  • When asked to budget a hypothetical $100, people identified 24% towards bike/ped and 22% to public transit
  • Bike/ped improvements ranked slightly more important than intersection improvements as part of road projects

The 2004 and 2016 TST program is one of the region’s primary sources of transportation funding. It has supported major road projects, public transit, greenspace preservation (through the Greenbelt program), and bike/ped projects. The 2004 tax is sunsetting in 2027, so in order for the program to not lapse and lose revenue, the County would need voters to approve an extension, should they proceed with putting it on the ballot, in November 2026. They will be voting in early 2026 whether to formally proceed with a TST referendum. This is an excellent opportunity for you to help us shape a new list of projects that goes beyond the status quo of road widening, and instead focuses on safety, network gaps, and deliverable projects that are a better bang for the buck!

We at Charleston Moves suggest a proper focus on safe access for bicycling, walking, and public transit — connecting to and from neighborhoods, jobs, schools, food, green and blue spaces, and businesses. The County should ultimately identify priority projects based on data (with an emphasis on safety), planning efforts, public input, and splitting the mode share. Together with the Charleston Climate Coalition, Coastal Conservation League, and East Coast Greenway Alliance, we have developed a summary and a white paper on our guiding priorities for a potential 2026 TST referendum. You can view them via the buttons at the top of this page. Furthermore, Charleston Moves and the East Coast Greenway Alliance developed a county-wide list and area maps of suggested priority bike/ped projects for a TST extension, which you can view via the buttons at the top of this page. 

HISTORY

You can view Charleston County’s Road Projects Map here. It shows future, current, and completed road projects, and by clicking on each project, you can see the funding source. It is a helpful tool to see some of what the current TST is funding (as well as how other projects are funded).

Charleston County has collected a transportation sales tax (TST) since 2004. That funding has traditionally been split among greenbelt projects and transportation projects, including bicycle, pedestrian, and transit projects. It is one of the primary sources of local dollars for these projects. The County has various mechanisms in place for how to prioritize what projects get funded. They often list specific projects in advance. They also have their annual allocation project matrices, and the Greenbelt Program has its own assessment criteria. You can find more details on the history of the TST:

South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) TST Audit Findings

Trust for Public Land’s Feasibility Report for Charleston County

Charleston County’s new TST website

Charleston County Transportation Development

Charleston County Greenbelt Program

Previously, $1M has been allocated annually for bike/ped projects through the TST. The municipalities all compete for this funding. Part of the assessment matrix includes public support, which is why we reach out to the public to sign petitions and write support letters for specific bike/ped projects applied for on an annual basis.

Through the Greenbelt Program, the County has designated a connectivity goal. So far, the only applicant for projects addressing this goal has been the Town of Mount Pleasant as they apply for easement funding for segments of Mount Pleasant Way. Greenbelt funds cannot be used to pave bike/ped trails.

We also achieve bike/ped infrastructure as part of roads projects in the TST. One recent example is the multi-use path installed as part of the Glenn McConnell Parkway widening project.

Public transit is partially funded through the TST. A notable example: approximately half of the funding for the Lowcountry Rapid Transit project is coming from the TST. We also achieve bus infrastructure, like covered bus stops, in certain road projects.

The TST is different from the County’s gas tax allocation (administered through the Charleston Transportation Committee [CTC], and also known as “C” funds).

Below is a list of presentation and public meeting recordings hosted by Charleston County that have taken place so far in late 2025-2026, as Charleston County considers and develops a 2026 TST extension:

Charleston County Council’s Special TST Committee met in late October to receive an update from staff on public outreach, including the TST overview presentation being received by municipalities and the public. You can view the presentation and discussion recording here (it’s the first ~14 minutes of the meeting). They met again November 6 to receive a presentation from staff on the Greenbelt Program. You can review the presentation and discussion here (it’s the first ~9 minutes of the meeting). The January 13, 2026 presentation of public feedback collected, as well as council’s discussion, is recorded here. On January 22, 2026, staff presented draft funding allocations, based on guiding principles formed from public and municipal input received thus far (recording here). On February 4, 2026, the county hosted a workshop on the TST, details in our blog here. On February 5, Charleston County Council’s Finance committee discussed TST allocations, recording here (starts at 46:12). On February 10, full council further discussed TST allocations, recording here (starting at 1:13:35).  On February 19, the County’s Special TST Committee discussed the draft to advance to the public for a 30-day comment period, recording here (starting at 1:52), then voted 5:4 in Finance Committee (starts at 45:58) and again in full council (starts at 46:52) to put the draft to the public for review and comment.

Charleston County hosted a virtual public listening session on January 8, 2026, recording here.