Photo courtesy of SCDOT
The new stretch of the Berlin G. Myers Parkway is scheduled to be open to motorists in August of 2026.
Work continues on a South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) project 18 years in the making. Contractors began rebuilding a portion of the Sawmill Branch Canal Trail in Dorchester County earlier this year. The trail construction work is a component of the $137 million Berlin G. Myers Parkway Phase III Project, a new 3.25- mi. roadway currently under construction.
"SCDOT will rebuild the Sawmill Branch Canal Trail between Luden Drive and Elizabeth Street using a three-staged construction plan," SCDOT said. "Working in coordination with the town of Summerville and Dorchester County, SCDOT has developed a plan for the Sawmill Branch Canal Trail to remain open to cyclists and pedestrians throughout construction. During each trail construction stage, cyclists and pedestrians will be detoured onto an adjacent portion of the newly placed asphalt roadway, which is not yet open to automobile traffic."
Photo courtesy of SCDOT
The new stretch of Berlin G. Myers Parkway is the third and final phase of a project on the drawing board for 18 years. The parkway is an alternate primary route to U.S. 17A in the town of Summerville, located about 25 mi. northwest of Charleston. The project involves the construction of a four-lane, 3.25-mi. roadway between U.S. Highway 17 Alternate and East Carolina Avenue, including the construction of seven new bridges and the recently started reconstruction of the shared use pathway along Sawmill Branch.
Banks Construction of North Charleston, S.C., is the contractor on site with United Infrastructure of Great Falls, S.C., charged with construction of bridges.
"This project is needed to accommodate increasing traffic volumes in the Summerville area," said Hannah Robinson, SCDOT media relations coordinator. "By 2040, projected traffic volumes show that numerous roadways in the project study area would be operating at a poor level of service if Berlin Myers Parkway Phase 3 were not constructed. Traffic modeling shows that the construction of the Berlin Myers Parkway Phase 3 will help improve traffic conditions along Summerville roads by up to 45 percent."
Sawmill Branch is a federal flood control project constructed by the USACE and the non-federal sponsors of the town of Summerville and Dorchester County in the early 1970s, according to SCDOT. Hydrologic modeling was conducted to analyze the new roadway's effect on the Sawmill Branch project and floodplain and the design refined to offset potential floodplain impacts.
"Construction of Phases 1 and 2 was completed in 1998," Robinson said. "Construction of Phase 3 was planned for approximately 2007. However, following Hurricane Katrina and other storms, environmental regulations changed, requiring 408 permit requirements that would ultimately apply to this project. SCDOT then worked to further limit environmental impacts, mitigate unavoidable impacts and perform the necessary calculations and modeling for the granting of those 408 permissions. In 2020, SCDOT held public hearings about the project's environmental impacts. Final approval was granted, and the project entered Phase 3 construction in 2022."
Dorchester County officials said the new parkway will serve as a bypass route, relieving pressure on other local roads.
Photo courtesy of SCDOT
"Main Street is at its limits and cannot be extended. In addition, congestion will be relieved around Summerville High School," said Stephen Grant, chair of the Dorchester County Transportation Authority (DCTA). "There are many partners to thank for persevering for many years to get this project to construction, especially the people of Summerville and Dorchester County who placed their trust in us to enhance the quality of life for our citizens."
While the project budget of $137 million is only an estimate, it is supported by $35 million in DCTA funds, $30 million in South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank (SCTIB) funds and $74 million in Charleston Area Transportation Study/SCDOT Funds.
"This is an excellent example of how a focused and collaborative effort on a complicated and complex project can break through years of obstacles to provide much needed traffic relief for the citizens of our state," said John B. White Jr., chair of the SCTIB. "[The bank] appreciates the opportunity to assist the DCTA, [and the] Charleston Area Transportation Study/SCDOT Fund [to] deliver a successful project for the Summerville area."
The new stretch of the Berlin G. Myers Parkway is scheduled to be open to motorists in August of 2026. CEG
Lori Tobias
Lori Tobias is a journalist of more years than she cares to count, most recently as a staff writer for The Oregonian and previously as a columnist and features writer for the Rocky Mountain News. She is the author of the memoir, Storm Beat - A Journalist Reports from the Oregon Coast, and the novel Wander, winner of the Nancy Pearl Literary Award in 2017. She has freelanced for numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Denver Post, Alaska Airlines in-flight, Natural Home, Spotlight Germany, Vegetarian Times and the Miami Herald. She is an avid reader, enjoys kayaking, traveling and exploring the Oregon Coast where she lives with her husband Chan and rescue pups, Gus and Lily.
Read more from Lori Tobias here.
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