Monday Ceremony Celebrates Johnnie Dodds Completion

Together at 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 10, Charleston County Government and the Town of Mount Pleasant will hold a ceremony to celebrate the early completion of the Johnnie Dodds Boulevard Improvements Project. The event will be held at 512 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard (former location of Miller Cadillac) in Mount Pleasant.

The project was expected to be completed in the spring of 2013, but close coordination with the entities involved helped speed up the process. The design-build process allowed the County to expedite the work as well. The public can expect to continue to see crews in the area over the next couple of months as punch-list items are handled.

The goal of the project was to improve the traffic flow in and out of Mount Pleasant, especially before and after school and work hours. The $84 million project was funded by the Charleston County Government’s Transportation Sales Tax Program and was managed by Charleston County’s Transportation Development staff in close coordination with the Town of Mount Pleasant and the S.C. Department of Transportation.

The project involved improving approximately three miles of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard (U.S. Highway 17) from just north of the Arthur J. Ravenel, Jr. Bridge to the south side of the I-526 interchange, including the associated frontage roads and side streets. The major component of the project was the construction of a new overpass to carry Johnnie Dodds Boulevard traffic over Bowman Road.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Widened Johnnie Dodds Boulevard from two lanes to three lanes in both north and south directions.
• Constructed curb and gutter along the entire length of the project.
• Widened the frontage roads to provide one lane in each direction with 4-foot wide, marked bicycle lanes and sidewalks.
• Constructed a diamond-shaped interchange with a new overpass so drivers on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard can cross over Bowman Road.
• Constructed traffic signal upgrades and pedestrian crosswalks at the following intersections along Johnnie Dodds Boulevard: Magrath Darby Boulevard, Mathis Ferry Road, Houston-Northcutt Boulevard, Shelmore Boulevard and Anna Knapp Boulevard, with auxiliary turn lanes where needed.
• Constructed single left turn lanes from Johnnie Dodds Boulevard to Shelmore Boulevard and Anna Knapp Boulevard, with the ability to expand in the future if needed.
• Designed and constructed a replacement bridge on Bowman Road over Shem Creek, including roadway and drainage improvements. The bridge is approximately 90 feet long and 80 feet wide, and includes sidewalks on both sides.
• Widened Bowman Road to six lanes from Johnnie Dodds Boulevard to Shem Creek, which will connect with the Town of Mount Pleasant’s Bowman Road Widening Project when completed.
• Installed new traffic signals at the ramp tie-ins at Bowman Road where East Frontage Road intersects with Houston-Northcutt Boulevard and Bowman Road; and West Frontage Road intersects with Mathis Ferry Road, Anna Knapp Boulevard and Bowman Road. These traffic signals are interconnected to, and signal timing coordinated with, the signal upgrades on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.
• Added street lighting and landscaping along the median and between Johnnie Dodds Boulevard and the frontage road system.