Woman says IOP connector traffic prevented her from seeing dying father

Isle of Palms, S.C. (WCBD) – Traffic on the Isle of Palms connector has been an ongoing issue, especially as beach traffic ramps up. For one Lowcountry woman, the traffic was more than just a minor inconvenience.

Last summer, Nancy Brimberry was on the island when she received a call that her sick father had taken a turn for the worse. She said her family was told his time was limited, and to get to the hospital quickly.

“We jump in the van head out the driveway, head down the road…,” said Brimberry.

But their rush soon slowed down when they met standstill traffic on the connector heading into Mount Pleasant. She recalls feeling helpless and trapped.

“You could do nothing except sit there and realize one of the most precious people in your life had just died, and you weren’t there,” said Brimberry.

Brimberry is not alone, traffic on the connector has been a major issue for years, one that state and local officials have been working to address.

Recently, the Isle of Palms City Council and the SC Department of Transportation have been working to reconfigure the connector to improve the flow of traffic.

As of late April, the design chosen by the city was “Option 5,” which adds 2 lanes to Mount Pleasant. But the concept drew criticism for its lack of an emergency lane.

“I think we should have an emergency lane for safety, for emergency vehicles,” said IOP City Council Member Blair Hahn.

Brimberry says an emergency lane could have made a world of difference for her family that day.

“But the fact that we had no choice, no option to get off that island is not right,” said Brimberry.

News 2 received a statement from the Isle of Palms stating that the city council is waiting on SCDOT to provide engineered plans for that new traffic pattern.