Mount Pleasant Magazine 6.3

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| | 10 - North MP
Sometime in the year 2021,
construction is expected to be completed
on all or part of Highway 41 between
Highway 17 and the Wando River,
alleviating a traffic issue that is almost
certain to worsen long before it gets
better in the next five years.
Questions remain, however, as to how extensive the work
will be, with options ranging from adding two lanes on just
a part of the road to building a flyover at the intersection
of 41 and 17 and doubling the width of the north-south
corridor all the way to the Berkeley County line. Ultimately,
the decision will be based on how much money four separate
entities – the town of Mount Pleasant, Charleston County,
the state of South Carolina and the federal government –
choose to invest in making life more pleasant for drivers who
use the state highway.
According to Mount Pleasant Councilman Paul Gawrych,
a member of the Council’s Transportation Committee, it will
cost between $35 million and $40 million to four-lane the
4.6-mile road. Add in the flyover, and the price tag is likely
to top the $100-million mark.
At the north end of that stretch of two-lane asphalt,
the state and federal government are in the process of
replacing the Wando River Bridge, at an estimated cost of
$58,573,000. The 55-foot-high structure is expected to be
completed in the fall of 2017, taking the place of a bridge
built in 1939.
Regardless of the cost and which government entities
participate, the town of Mount Pleasant is moving forward
with plans to four-lane and add bike lanes and sidewalks on
Photo by John Kurc.
A flyover might someday help alleviate traffic issues at the intersection of Highways 17 and 41.
Mount Pleasant Town Councilman Paul Gawrych, left, and State Sen.
Larry Grooms check out the progress on the new Wando River Bridge.
at least the 1.5-mile stretch of Highway 41 that runs from
Highway 17 to Joe Rouse Road.
“We’re not going to back off,” Gawrych said. “This is the
most challenging infrastructure project in this town. But
the good news is that we have two years to build our bank
toward paying for this road.”
Two years is the time it will take to design the project, a
job that will be handled by the county, in cooperation with
the town.
Mount Pleasant Town Administrator Eric DeMoura said
that if the town is forced to tackle the road improvement
Photo by John Kurc.