Charleston County moves forward with James Island stormwater drainage project

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston County plans to move forward with the Hollings Road Drainage Improvement Project.

Even a normal rain shower can bring flooding to this James Island neighborhood, but the county is looking to fix that for these residents. Officials say the project was in the design phase for the past few years, but is now ready for construction. This is expected to bring relief to neighbors whose yards are often inundated with water.

“When it rains a lot, it will almost definitely flood,” Matthew Triano, a resident, said. “During one of the hurricanes we had, there’s like a drainage ditch that runs through my backyard that overflowed, and probably a third of my backyard was underwater.”

Residents told News 2 that the standing water has even caused their yards to sink over time. However, county officials said these improvements will alleviate the depth and duration of flooding on the road, as they will divert standing water into a county-maintained canal.

“There’s a small ditch that is undersized and doesn’t have enough easements on that ditch. So, the goal is to divert the water from that ditch to the larger ditch that does have the capacity,” John Primm, public works project manager of Charleston County, said.

Additionally, the county is set to make drainage improvements on Central Park Road nearby. It will be the first phase of other intersection projects on James Island, which it is working on with the state and City of Charleston.

“Anything they can do to help with the flooding because it can definitely be a big problem for us,” Triano said.

Construction is expected to begin in late 2025, taking a few months to complete.