Officials celebrate Hwy 17 project completion in Mt. Pleasant - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

County and town officials will join together in Mt. Pleasant Monday morning to celebrate the early completion of the Johnnie Dodds Boulevard Project.

Mayor Billy Swails and Charleston County Council members will hold a celebration at 512 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard at 11 a.m.

The project was expected to be completed in the spring of 2013, but close coordination with the entities involved helped speed up the process.

The project involved improving approximately three miles of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard (U.S. Highway 17) from just north of the Arthur J. Ravenel, Jr. Bridge to the south side of the I-526 interchange, including the associated frontage roads and side streets.

The major component of the project was the construction of a new overpass to carry Johnnie Dodds Boulevard traffic over Bowman Road.

"The Johnnie Dodds project is the largest project on our list of major improvements funded by the Transportation Sales Tax, and finishing it early is a huge accomplishment. Further, this project clearly demonstrated joint cooperation between Charleston County Government, the Town of Mount Pleasant, businesses and all residents living along and traveling through the construction area," said Charleston County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor.

Mayor Swails said, "I would like to thank our residents and business owners for their patience during this project. Road construction always offers its own set of challenges and opportunities, but the final product was worth the wait! The Johnnie Dodds Boulevard Improvements Project is a remarkable, multi-agency engineering feat that will prove to be a transportation model for the region and the nation. We are delighted and very proud of this new facility. Charleston County Council, Charleston County's Transportation Development staff, the S.C. Department of Transportation and our own Town Council and Transportation Department staff should be commended for their vision and for their dedication to the residents of Mount Pleasant."

Improvements include:

• Widened Johnnie Dodds Boulevard from two lanes to three lanes in both north and south directions.
• Constructed curb and gutter along the entire length of the project.
• Widened the frontage roads to provide one lane in each direction with 4-foot wide, marked bicycle lanes and sidewalks.
• Constructed a diamond-shaped interchange with a new overpass so drivers on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard can cross over Bowman Road.
• Constructed traffic signal upgrades and pedestrian crosswalks at the following intersections along Johnnie Dodds Boulevard: Magrath Darby Boulevard, Mathis Ferry Road, Houston-Northcutt Boulevard, Shelmore Boulevard and Anna Knapp Boulevard, with auxiliary turn lanes where needed.
• Constructed single left turn lanes from Johnnie Dodds Boulevard to Shelmore Boulevard and Anna Knapp Boulevard, with the ability to expand in the future if needed.
• Designed and constructed a replacement bridge on Bowman Road over Shem Creek, including roadway and drainage improvements. The bridge is approximately 90 feet long and 80 feet wide, and includes sidewalks on both sides.
• Widened Bowman Road to six lanes from Johnnie Dodds Boulevard to Shem Creek, which will connect with the Town of Mount Pleasant's Bowman Road Widening Project when completed.
• Installed new traffic signals at the ramp tie-ins at Bowman Road where East Frontage Road intersects with Houston-Northcutt Boulevard and Bowman Road; and West Frontage Road intersects with Mathis Ferry Road, Anna Knapp Boulevard and Bowman Road. These traffic signals are interconnected to, and signal timing coordinated with, the signal upgrades on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.
• Added street lighting and landscaping along the median and between Johnnie Dodds Boulevard and the frontage road system.