New park-and-ride slated for upper Charleston Peninsula

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A transportation hub in downtown Charleston is one step closer to being finished.

A grant has been awarded for the construction of a Hospitality on Peninsula Park-and-Ride facility on the Upper Peninsula. A $2.7 million federal grant will fund the entire project.

The HOP Park-and-Ride is going to be on Mount Pleasant Street on the upper part of the peninsula between King Street and Meeting Street. For those familiar with the area, it will be on the large triangle of grass in between Santi’s and Joseph Floyd Manner.

The project is being funded through the Federal Transportation Authority and will provide parking and transit connections to the free HOP, Downtown Area Shuttle and King Street 20 routes, among others.

The 1.65-acre facility will include 115 parking spaces, transit shelters, bike racks and parking meter kiosks. There will also be signs with real-time next-bus information, as well as detour details when roads are closed on the peninsula because of things like flooding.

“The connectivity from North Charleston and beyond to the peninsula is going to be very important – making that final connection to the Medical District, which is the region’s largest job center is also very important,” Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Council of Government spokesman Daniel Brock said. “The location just couldn’t get any better; you’re near the Citadel, you’re near a lot of different things. And it’s going to help all of the folks who already live here – the local neighborhoods as well are going to have unparalleled and unprecedented connectivity.”

In the future, the location will offer connectivity to the LowLine, a proposed 1.7-mile bike-ped-centric park located nearby. It will also provide connections to the planned Lowcountry Rapid Transit line.

“Space is at a premium on the peninsula,” Brock said. “Parking is always an issue. The rates tend to creep up. So what the HOP does is give you a flat daily rate of $5 and then you can ride the HOP Shuttle for free or catch one of the other free services offered by CARTA on the peninsula as well. And then, of course, that blessed a few years in the future when Lowcountry Rapid Transit is up and running will be a really big game changer for everyone.”

Officials say construction is expected to start in the next few weeks. The facility is slated to be finished in 12 months.

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