Charleston County News Release
Release Number: 3426
Release Date: April 13, 2012
Project info. and photos: http://www.ccroadwise.org/projects/johnnie_dodds/index.php
New Bowman Road Overpass Opens Sunday as Part of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard Improvements Project
Be aware of new traffic shifts and detours as project continues
This weekend, residents and visitors will get to drive on the newly constructed Johnnie Dodds Boulevard (U.S. Highway 17) overpass over Bowman Road, which is part of the County’s Johnnie Dodds Boulevard Improvements Project in Mount Pleasant.
Final preparation for traffic to shift onto the new overpass will begin Saturday night,
and by 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 15, crews will have shifted traffic onto the new Johnnie Dodds Boulevard overpass over Bowman Road. Town of Mount Pleasant Police will be on site to assist with directing traffic while the crews are working.
The opening of the overpass will mark a major milestone toward the project’s completion. While traffic may have to be shifted at times, the use of the overpass will be permanent.
The next phase of the project includes temporarily closing the portion of Bowman Road that goes over Shem Creek (between McDonald’s and Kmart on Bowman Road) while crews replace the small bridge. This closure to Bowman Road will begin at midnight on Monday, April 16 and will be in place for five months. Construction areas will continue to be marked with traffic control devices and signs as they are now.
During the Bowman Road closure, drivers will be detoured as follows:
Town of Mount Pleasant Mayor Billy Swails praised the construction achievement.
“The opening of this flyover will alleviate the rush-hour congestion that has existed for years at Johnnie Dodds and Bowman Roads,” Swails said. “It is a great milestone for this project.”
County Council Chairman Teddie E. Pryor, Sr. credits County staff and the Design-Build contract team Banks-United Joint Venture with hard work.
“The team has worked hard to make it to this stage in the project after only eight months,” Pryor said. “We are proud to be bringing these improvements to the residents East of the Cooper, and look forward to the completion of the overall project.”
The County announced in a June 2011 news release that work would begin on the overpass, and kept the public advised of all relevant steps and potential traffic interruptions throughout the construction.
Drivers traveling through the project’s construction zone are asked to be aware of equipment and crews working in the area at all times. Alternative routes are recommended if possible. The public is also asked to notice traffic control signs, reductions in speed limit and message board information, and to note that all road work is dependent on the weather.
The goal of the project, which is scheduled for full completion in the spring of 2013, is to improve the traffic flow in and out of Mount Pleasant, especially before and after school and work hours. The project is funded by Charleston County’s Transportation Sales Tax Program in close coordination with the Town of Mount Pleasant and the S.C. Department of Transportation.
The public can get up-to-date project information including construction status, traffic alerts and pictures online at http://www.ccroadwise.org/projects/johnnie_dodds/index.php.
Aerial photo of the new overpass
