Safety project complete on Brigade St. in downtown Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Safety improvements to an area of downtown Charleston area now complete. On Wednesday morning, staff with the City of Charleston and the South Carolina Department of Transportation met to cut the ribbon near the corner of Brigade Street and Morrison Drive.

The city partnered with the SCDOT to make safety and connectivity improvements along Brigade Street including new flashing beacons that also work for people who are blind or deaf, pavement markings and curb extensions. Director of the City of Charleston’s Department of Traffic and Transportation Keith Benjamin also said this is the first corridor in the city with protected bike lanes.

“We’re here because of community,” Benjamin said before the ribbon cutting. “The fact that community held us accountable through our neighborhoods and advocacy groups is what allowed us to be here today. What you see that so many people are going to be able to experience, whether walking or biking, actually started as a tactical urbanism project... that’s an effort where community and municipalities come together to change the public right of way in a temporary fashion to show what placemaking can look like.”

Those efforts led to this project. Benjamin said this area is one of the most dangerous in Charleston and he hopes this kind of design will spread to other parts of the city.

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