Major Infrastructure Projects
The 23-mile connection between West Ashley and Mount Pleasant, known as the I-526 Lowcountry Corridor (LCC), has been identified by SCDOT as one of the state’s most congested interstate highways — and it’s among the Department’s top priorities statewide. As such, SCDOT and FHWA are currently evaluating current and future transportation demands in the existing I-526 LCC, from south of Paul Cantrell Boulevard in West Ashley to south of U.S. 17 in Mount Pleasant. Current challenges along the corridor have been identified as the growing demand for capacity resulting in increasing congestion. That could mean more lanes, new technology, or other strategies aimed at accomplishing these goals.
This corridor has been broken down into two distinct projects – I-526 Lowcountry Corridor WEST and I-526 Lowcountry Corridor EAST. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is being prepared for the I-526 LCC WEST project, which runs from Paul Cantrell Boulevard in West Ashley to Virginia Avenue in North Charleston. The purpose of the project is to increase capacity and improve operations at the I-26/I-526 interchange and along the I-526 mainline in this study area.