Are Mount Pleasant Way upgrades worth flooding, safety risks? Some residents say they aren't (2024)

MOUNT PLEASANT— Errol Moore stands on his driveway leading to his home on Mathis Ferry Road as cars whiz by.

The modest home, decorated with a fountain and elevated on painted cinderblocks to keep out flood water, is built on land near Spark Street, purchased by Moore's father in the 1950s.

Standing outside the home on June 20, Moore recalled a time when there weren't cars rushing by on Mathis Ferry Road that were trying to avoid traffic on US Highway 17 or detour from Interstate 526. Today, the two-lane byway that's lined with grand oaks is a steady stream of cars, trucks and even a tour bus passing through.

As Moore reflects on a calmer Mount Pleasant, a man is readying himself to cross Mathis Ferry at Spark Street, where there is no crosswalk.

He waits for a break in traffic. When it finally comes, he hurriedly strides across the street. Almost instantly, cars resume their steady pace down the byway.

The volume of cars and their speed is what makes Moore, and other residents who live along the historic byway, concerned about a planned segment of Mount Pleasant Way from Eagle Street to Highway 17.

Mount Pleasant Way is a proposed "doorstep to destination"network of wide sidewalks and multi-use paths, designed to connect parts of the town and accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. Ideally, the 47-mile project would take some drivers off of the road and promote walking or biking in town.

The Mathis Ferry Trail segment will widen the existing sidewalk that is opposite Moore's home to 10 to 12 feet, spanning roughly two miles from Eagle Street to the highway.It will pass by the Mathis Ferry Library, and eventually, people will be able to use the trail to walk from Rifle Range Road to Highway 17.

“It's a major concern,” Moore said about the current traffic as he stands in his drive. “I'm just looking at it right now and no... kids are going to get hurt.”

Sophie Holmes, the project manager overseeing the Mathis Ferry segments of Mount Pleasant Way, said common comments her teams receive are requests for improved drainage and to avoid removing trees.

The trail has not been designed yet, as town staff are collecting feedback from residents that will impact the final configuration of the path. A survey for the Mathis Ferry Trail, which is open until July 27, has received mostly positive comments, Holmes said.

“The town and our engineers will implement this feedback when we begin design,” Holmes said.

During a public input meeting for the project on June 13, attendees told a different story.

Just under 100 people crammed into a room at the Mount Pleasant Senior Center on Von Knoltz Road. Holmes, joined by Deputy Director of Transportation James Aton and Eric Davis, the director of greenbelt programs for Charleston County, presented two segments of the Mathis Ferry Trail.

Ronnie Hutchinson, who lives in the Wakendaw Lakes neighborhood, said the existing sidewalk is serving the community just fine and there are more pressing opportunities for safety upgrades. The crosswalk at the intersection of Wakendaw Boulevard and Mathis Ferry is faded and unlit, for example.

“Right in front of Wakendaw Lakes is where they really need a little crossing sign,” Hutchinson said. “I sit outside all day after five o’clock and you can watch the accidents happen because nobody pays attention.”

Holmes said the crosswalk at the neighborhood entrance will likely be re-striped, and crosswalk signs with flashing, timed signals will be installed at Eagle Street as part of the planned trail.

Residents also voiced concern about increased flooding from paving over an existing ditch and potentially removing trees alongside the road to make way for the new path.

“You fill that swell in, the water’s going to roll on my side and now you’ve created a swell that’s going to create a massive flood from the rain,” Moore said.

It’s not the first time that Mount Pleasant Way has faced objections.

In May, residents pleaded with Charleston County Council to deny the town greenbelt funds to purchase right of way along Long Point Road and Rifle Range Road to complete two segments of the sidewalk project.

The town was granted the million-dollar award and is planning on asking for more to pay for the right of way needed to complete the Mathis Ferry Trail.

It’s expected to take up to 18 months to design the pathway, and another 12 to construct it. Though Mathis Ferry is owned by the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the town will be responsible for maintaining the sidewalk once it’s complete.

Despite his concerns, Moore likes the overall idea of Mount Pleasant Way. He said he can see himself using it to ride his bike around town or walk with his grandchildren. He just wants it to be as safe as possible,as he’s seen too many accidents right outside his house already.

“It’s gonna enhance the area. I mean, it's gonna make it look nice,” Moore said “But I don't want to see it jeopardize people's lives because I’ve seen that. That's the part that's gonna be really, really detrimental to the project.”