Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb2016

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as the town’s population marched increasingly northward.
An aerial view of Mount Pleasant shows that north of
Highway 41, only about a half mile of land keeps the town
from being an island.
“Being a linear peninsula presented numerous chal-
lenges from a transportation standpoint. There simply
weren’t any ready options to ease the flow of north-south
traffic,” DeMoura explained.
He added that Route 41 itself is the subject of ongoing
planning for a much-needed widening.
“It’s a major east-west perpendicular that is also a hur-
ricane evacuation route, and it’s struggling to handle its
traffic flow today,” he said.
So while the heart of Mount Pleasant might be any-
where, the arteries, veins and capillaries are the roads
large and small that handle the all-important flow of
traffic through residential neighborhoods and business
zones alike.
When the final section of Billy Swails Parkway is com-
plete, the new route will do much to calm the “blood pres-
sure” of the town – not to mention that of its frequently
frustrated motorists.
85 | |
Billy Swails Parkway
will be completed
when the segment
that links Six Mile
Road and Hamlin
Road is finished.
Failure Was Not aN optioN
By Brad Morrison • Town of Mount Pleasant Transportation Director
W hen the town took on the ambitious task of
developing a parallel route to Highway 17 and
Rifle Range Road, the initial phases of Hungry Neck
Boulevard were dubbed Mount Pleasant’s “Manhat-
tan Project” by then Mayor Harry Hallman.
Even 15 years ago, that’s the recognition this
corridor was given for serving the long-term mobility
needs of town residents. While there were challenges
during the preliminary planning and design phases,
the town’s leadership understood that failure was
not an option and made difficult decisions to see the
task through.
In all, it will have taken six separate construction
projects to complete the corridor, each with its own
unique hurdles. One of greatest challenges is build-
ing roads in an urban environment, while minimiz-
ing the impact to homes, businesses and natural
and cultural resources and making sure the project
is financially feasible. This involves intense study
and evaluation. Mount Pleasant’s town leaders have
historically been very sensitive to this aspect of road
building and have done an excellent job balancing
the impact on local areas with the needs of the com-
munity as a whole.
The various phases of Hungry Neck Boulevard
are now providing for the transportation needs of
the people of Mount Pleasant and will be even more
valuable to motorists once Billy Swails Parkway is
complete. When the last phase is finished, drivers will
be able to travel more than five miles from Bowman
Road to Porchers Bluff Road without ever touching
Highway 17 or Rifle Range Road.