City of Charleston looking to conduct new traffic study on busy one-way streets

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – City of Charleston traffic and transportation leaders plan to conduct a traffic analysis on several, busy one-way streets downtown.

The action of the traffic study has previously been approved, but the contract for the consultant is up for a vote on Feb. 25. Officials look to possibly reverse Coming Street, Rutledge Avenue, and Ashley Avenue along many intersections depending on the results .

“Residents that I think are looking to us to give them the answers are really thinking about traffic calming, safety and feeling like they’re a part of a neighborhood rather than a speedway,” Mike Seekings, council member and chair of the transportation committee, said.

The study is estimated to take between eight to nine months. Officials said among other factors, it will focus on turn movement counts and traffic counts during morning and evening peak periods.

“So, we will be looking at all three corridors and determine what that impact is, and the public input will be important especially the residents along the street, those that live there,” Michael Mathis, traffic and transportation director, said. “We’ll be looking at everything from site distance visibility to street parking to CARTA bus route to signalization.”

It has been over a decade since the last analysis was done on Coming Street and 25 years since a high feasibility review of the peninsula. Some residents added that the implementation of making these corridors into two-way streets would work well, especially on Coming Street.

“I think it’s an amazing idea. It’s already hard enough to navigate downtown and being able to go two ways is plenty enough for me,” Fletcher Lasher, a Charleston native, said. “Also, people tend to fly up and down this road so if it was a two-way it might help with that some as well.” 

City leaders said this effort is part of a bigger plan of making the downtown streets safer for everyone.

“This is important for people to know we’re really thinking about the safety and livability of our city across the board. This is one of many things we’re thinking about, but the core of the city downtown with roads going through the neighborhoods that maybe could be safer and make things more accessible,” Seekings said. “That’s just something we should be doing and we will do that with this study. More to come after it’s done.”