UPDATE: Please be aware that this hearing has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date. A new public notice will be sent out once the hearing has been rescheduled. Any comments that were already submitted through the hearing public notice page will still be considered by the Department. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Proposed Project
The proposed project consists of improvements to SC Highway 41 (SC 41) for a total of 5.6 miles from US Highway 17 (US 17) across the Wando River Bridge to Clements Ferry Road, located in both Berkeley and Charleston Counties. The proposed project also includes improvements to the intersection of SC 41 and US 17, a new tie-in road between SC 41 and Winnowing Way, and a 1.3-mile new location roadway, Laurel Hill Parkway, between SC 41 and Park West Boulevard, and drainage improvements. The proposed work consists of the placement of fill material within 6.27 acres of freshwater wetlands, 3.61 acres of tidal wetlands, and 0.10 acres of open freshwater wetlands. In addition to the proposed fill, 0.62 acres of freshwater wetlands and 0.47 acres of tidal wetlands would be mechanically cleared. Lastly, 0.96 acres of tidal wetlands would be impacted for bridge construction access. The primary purpose of the proposed SC 41 Corridor Improvements Project is to reduce traffic congestion within the SC 41 corridor to accommodate future traffic projections.
Community Engagement
Public Hearing
DHEC will hold an in-person public hearing to receive comments on the proposed SC Hwy 41 Improvements project on Tuesday April 30, 2024 at 6:00 pm. The public hearing will be held at the Lucy Beckham High School auditorium located at 1560 Mathis Ferry Rd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464.
During the public hearing, DHEC OCRM staff will provide a brief summary of the proposed application and will accept verbal comments for the record to be considered prior to making a final decision. This hearing is designed so that DHEC OCRM staff can gather comments as to the merits of the project and consider all information when making a decision based on the Coastal Tidelands and Wetlands Act, Department regulations, and policies.
What to Expect
To make certain the Department gathers all presented information and has an opportunity to hear all comments, direct questioning during the open comment portion of the public hearing will not be allowed. Staff will remain at the close of the public hearing to answer questions.
The public notice for the hearing will remain open for two weeks following the hearing. Written comments will continue to be accepted through the public notice webpage until Tuesday, May 14, 2024. DHEC OCRM's final permit decision will be made available on this webpage and by email or mail to everyone on DHEC OCRM’s mailing list who requested to be notified of the final Department decision for the proposed SC Hwy 41 Improvements project.
Contact Information
For technical information regarding the critical area permit application, please contact Sarah Reed at (843) 953-0269 or reeds2@dhec.sc.gov.