Road Projects Funded by Transportation “Half-Cent” Sales Tax are Underway

            Work on grading and paving 15 dirt roads begins this month

 

Residents along 15 dirt roads within unincorporated areas of Charleston County will soon be driving on fresh asphalt, thanks to funding from the Transportation (“Half-cent”) Sales Tax.

 

Bright yellow signs have already been placed on Coakley Road, Julius Robertson Road and Dagallies Road, to let residents know that the road work is being funded by the Transportation Sales Tax.

 

Grading along the three roads is currently underway, and weather permitting, they are scheduled to be paved before the end of March. Grading and paving for the remaining 12 roads will begin soon, and they are scheduled to be completed between April and June.

 

The 15 roads, in the order that they will be completed, are:

            - Coakley Road in unincorporated Mount Pleasant

- Julius Robertson Road in unincorporated Mount Pleasant

- Dagallies Road in unincorporated Mount Pleasant

            - Middle Hill Road in St. James-Santee Parrish

            - Jack Road in St. James-Santee Parrish

            - End Drive in West Ashley

            - Old Jacksonboro Road in the Ravenel area

            - Tumbleston Road in the St. Paul’s area

            - Wine Road on Johns Island

            - Bligden Road on Johns Island

            - Hamilton Road on Johns Island

            - Abbapoola Road on Johns Island

            - Mackey Lane in the St. Paul’s area

            - Village Road in the St. Paul’s area

            - Moffett Road in the St. Paul’s area

 

While the majority of Transportation Sales Tax funds will be used to address large projects within the county’s metropolitan areas, Charleston County Council set aside funds from the fiscal year 2005-2006 (July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006) County budget to begin putting the first sales tax revenues into use, and to assure voters that the needs with the county’s unincorporated rural areas were not going to be left out.

 

“Most of the roads in this year’s paving list have been on Charleston County’s wish list for many years,” said Dan Moses with Charleston County RoadWise, the County’s program that was developed to manage transportation related improvements funded by the Transportation Sales Tax.

 

“The local road projects offer an opportunity to address basic transportation needs within our county. In addition, we’re requiring the contractors to have a local business presence for asphalt work,” Moses said. “In fact, Charleston County Council’s ten percent goal to engage Minority and Women-Owned Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (MWDBE’s) was met and almost doubled for the upcoming work.”

 

Charleston County’s Transportation Sales Tax was approved by voters in November of 2004. Collection of the tax began in May of 2005 and will continue for 25 years or until $1.303 billion is generated for transportation (83 percent) and greenspace (17 percent) related projects and improvements.

 

Visit Charleston County’s official Transportation Sales Tax Web site at www.smallchangeforbigchange.org for up-to-date news and information, meeting notices, and to view minutes from advisory board meetings for both the transportation and greenbelt portions of the Transportation Sales Tax.