Junk Removal in James Island, SC

Charleston County has received a reduced cost estimate for the long-planned and controversial Mark Clark Extension project, but it’s a price tag that would still leave the county responsible for paying $1.78 billion.

That’s about five times the county’s yearly general fund budget.

Several council members who support finishing the Interstate 526 loop said the most likely path toward paying for it would be another half-percent sale tax increase that would require local voter approval.

“We just have to be willing to move forward and do it,” Councilwoman Jenny Honeycutt said. “Every day I get more and more calls.”

The project would create a 9½-mile, four-lane road from the current end of I-526 in West Ashley, to Johns Island and then onto James Island with a connection to the end of the James Island connector at Folly Road.

Most of the road would be elevated, with a proposed speed limit between 35 and 45 mph.

The marginally better cost estimate was delivered by S.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Christy Hall in a letter to the county. The previous price tag was estimated at $2.35 billion, while the new estimate that followed a consultant’s study came in at $2.2 billion.

“I think initially there was some thought that maybe we have overinflated the numbers,” Hall said.

When the higher cost estimate came out in May, Bradly Taggart, co-founder of Charlestonians for I-526, told County Council members that a temporary spike in commodity prices was likely to blame. He predicted that “we could be looking at a project that costs half as much in six months’ time as the market rebalances.”

Instead, the estimate dropped by less than 7 percent.

Hall said the estimated $150 million reduction came mainly from reducing the cost of potential “risk elements” — surprises during construction, such as unplanned conflicts with utilities or unexpected poor soil conditions — and partly from reducing expected cost inflation.

“This estimate has built into it every possible contingency for things that could go wrong,” said Honeycutt, who said she thinks the actual cost will be lower.

Hall asked the county to develop “a financial plan that is rational and realistic” for the entire road project, which would be required in order to get final approval for an environmental review from the federal government. She also asked the county to approve $150 million in preliminary work, with the county paying half that cost, to keep the plan moving forward.

Honeycutt and Council Chairman Teddie Pryor both said they favor a new half-percent sales tax referendum as the best way to pay the cost. County voters previously approved two such sales tax increases, mostly to fund road projects.

Pryor said if there were another referendum, it could be entirely dedicated to funding the Mark Clark Extension. The most recent sales tax increase, following a 2016 referendum, was expected to raise $1.89 billion for specified road projects in the county, over 25 years.

The county received the new cost estimate for the Mark Clark Extension on Dec. 2, a spokesperson said, and has not had time to discuss it. The earlier higher estimate was delivered to the county in May.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry,” Councilman Henry Darby said at the time. “I would never, ever go with this.”

The Mark Clark Extension has lots of support, including the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, the city of Charleston and the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, but also lots of opposition. The Coastal Conservation League said in May that the multibillion-dollar price tag “is a perfect opportunity for Charleston County Council to walk away from this project.”

A community organization called Nix 526 has also been fighting the extension, and Charleston Waterkeeper and the S.C. Wildlife Federation have raised objections.

Supporters say it’s necessary for traffic relief and possible hurricane evacuations, while opponents say it will increase development on Johns Island and harm the environment while providing little traffic relief at great cost.

New roads tend to provide traffic relief for a time but also spur development. The existing portion of I-526 from North Charleston to Mount Pleasant initially provided traffic relief and a new hurricane evacuation option, but it also accelerated development in northern Mount Pleasant and on Daniel Island. The state is currently planning to spend about $4 billion to widen that part of the interstate.

Here are some numbers to put $1.78 billion in context:

The S.C. Department of Transportation assumes that if the Mark Clark Extension project goes forward, litigation could delay it by two or three years.

Pryor blamed opponents for the rising costs of the project, and said it could have been built for far less years or decades ago. In 2015, the cost estimate was $725 million.

Unlike the even-more-expensive plans to widen and improve the existing sections of I-526 — for about $7 billion — the state in 2019 limited its contribution to the Mark Clark Extension project to $420 million and the county agreed to finance the rest.

“Our interstate program is focused on upgrading our existing interstates,” said Hall, and those plans are focused on moving freight and aiding commerce. The state is pursuing plans to widen all or portions of interstates 526, 26 and 95, and to redesign multiple interchanges.

County Council is expected to discuss options for the Mark Clark Extension at a future meeting. Hall did not put a deadline on her request for action.

A year long project and vision to improve the Folly Road corridor has wrapped up another year of research and plans.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A year long project and vision to improve the Folly Road corridor has wrapped up another year of research and plans.

The Rethink Folly Road Complete Streets Initiative has a goal to improve congestion and connectivity with pedestrian and bike lanes. Officials hope the work will also improve the value and quality of life along the thoroughfare.

The idea behind the project began in 2015 and Charleston County, Charleston City, Folly Beach and the Town of James Island approved the initiative in 2016. It’s a collaborative effort to study the area, design improvements and secure funding for work.

For the past three years, Toole Design has been working with the county and cities along the corridor to do research and community studies on how to best implement the biking and walking paths.

Lakeesha Dunbar, Office Manager for Tool Design, says the design phase and securing property is often longer than actual construction.

“The last two years is getting the design of the Phase One project done in coordination with the state. And so that’s a big piece in itself. And then since I’ve been on board, um, in the last year, we’ve done quite a few little things to keep it trying to keep the momentum going with the community,” Dunbar says.

Tool design worked with the county on designs and also collaborated with business owners along the road.

“We have to get buy in one because we’re having to get easements and property from property owners along the corridor,” Dunbar explains.

The Tool firm’s contract with the Rethink Folly Road project ends and the end of 2022.

“We’ve been expansion of staff to coordinate the steering committee and the BI monthly meetings. I think just that continued coordination and communication between all of the jurisdictions because there are the multiple jurisdictions along the corridor - that’s key,” Dunbar says.

Going forward, the jurisdictions hope to see phase one completed in the next two years. Phase 1 is the initial phase of the bicycle and pedestrian accommodation project stretching from Lowe’s to Walmart.

Charleston Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt says in the coming year, people will notice disjointed parts of the paths going in.

“There’s been several improvements within that area already and as different areas like the Chick-fil-A that’s being remodeled as they get improved, you will see isolated, you know, paths and all built in those areas, but along for the long term is going to take a little bit longer to acquire all the property we need,” she says.

Honeycutt compared the goal for Folly Road to how Coleman Boulevard functions in Mount Pleasant – a main road but with bike lanes and sidewalks that connect the nearby community. She says it’s a grand vision of a safe community road that will take a while to accomplish and asks people to be patient as the county and involved cities continue designing and construction.

“So, you’ve got the county who’s sort of the applicant that’s sort of running the operation, you might call, but you have all of those stakeholders involved in at the table and as we progress, we want you know, the community’s input, particularly business owners along the corridor to make sure that it reflects what the community wants,” Honeycutt says.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - As 2022 comes to a close, a popular Charleston-area pizza restaurant shuts down after three decades in business.

A sign on the door of the last-remaining Andolini’s Pizza location on Sam Rittenberg Boulevard in West Ashley read, “With sad hearts, we have closed the last Andolini’s Pizza” and thanked the community for its support over the years.

The official announcement came on the restaurant’s Facebook page Saturday afternoon, almost one month after a post celebrating the restaurant’s 30th anniversary.

“To all our loyal patrons and staff who were part of the journey...thank you from the bottom of all our hearts! We will miss you,” the post states.

While several restaurants in recent months have cited a variety of problems, from a slow economy to supply chain issues to finding workers, co-owner Mindy Odle said there was no specific issue that led to the decision, adding that COVID made it difficult for families to eat inside restaurants.

“Andolini’s was a staple for so many Charleston families and in many cases it began with the original Andolini’s on Wentworth,” Odle said. “It became the favorite pizza place for the College of Charleston.”

One patron responded to the post, saying she had been “a fan (and frequent customer)” since her college days at the College of Charleston and enjoyed introducing her children to “the best pizza on earth.”

Another posted a string of crying emojis with the message, “You had THE BEST PIZZA in Charleston!”

Many of the responses included emojis expressing sadness at the news.

Some former employees also expressed their appreciation to the family that started the business.

At its height, there were five primary locations across the Lowcountry: downtown Charleston, Mount Pleasant, James Island, North Charleston and West Ashley.

Its menu included Italian and Greek salads, breadsticks, calzones, and pizza by the slice or pie.

Its Facebook page stated Andolini’s was voted “Best New York Style Pizza” for 28 years.

“We had a good run for 30 years,” Odle said. “We will miss being Charleston’s favorite pizza place for more than 25 years in a row.”

Andolini’s is the latest in a list of longtime Lowcountry restaurants that closed their doors in 2022. Other familiar eateries that bade farewell during the year included The Sunflower Cafe in West Ashley, Nana’s Seafood, Philly’s in Summerville, Caroline’s Aloha Bar and the first location of Ladles Soups in West Ashley.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A Wisconsin couple is spreading the culinary joys of the Badger State one stick of summer sausage and package of cheese curds at a time.

Casey Diedrich and Taylor Ambrosius opened Wisconsin Meat and Cheese two weeks ago in a city with a legendary food reputation.

What made them think Wisconsin beef sticks and aged cheddar stand a chance of competing with shrimp and grits?

A decade of frustration.

Credit for the store idea goes to Ambrosius’ dad, Steve, who she said lives in Florida half the year.

“He had this idea for the last 10 years because he was never able to find good meat and cheese anywhere in Florida,” she said.

At least not Wisconsin good. Sausages and brats from the likes of Miesfeld’s and Usinger’s. Cheeses from Carr Valley, Henning’s, Marieke Gouda, Renard’s, Sartori, Springside and Widmer’s.

And really, is it the holidays without the joy of Pine River port wine cheese spread on a snowflake shaped Ritz?

I don't think so.

That all-star lineup of meats and cheeses is something Wisconsinites take for granted. Geez, you can find award-winning meats and cheeses at gas stations in America’s Dairyland.

Once you get out of the Midwest, that’s not the case.

And though Steve wanted to open a shop like this in Florida years ago, other business ventures kept him from bringing that to fruition, Taylor said.

When Taylor and Casey moved to Charleston three years ago where she enrolled in law school, they found that like Florida, the meat and cheese selection in South Carolina couldn’t compete with Wisconsin.

Casey and Steve talked about opening the store in Charleston for the last year, got serious about it in May and opened the shop Nov. 22.

Taylor said her dad is familiar with business operations, but Casey runs the show in Charleston. She helps with the marketing.

Wisconsin Meat and Cheese opened with 200 products from Wisconsin.

Casey works with Wisconsin producers to select and arrange the meat and cheese orders. A family member who lives in Wisconsin drives a delivery truck to about 10 different locations to pick up the supplies and drives them to their shop in Charleston.

Some products were chosen because Casey and/or Taylor loved them growing up in Ashwaubenon and Seymour, respectively. Some products were picked after taste-testing samples shipped from Wisconsin suppliers, some cheeses picked because they “sounded delicious” based on descriptions including blueberry cobbler, maple bourbon, and mango fire.

Other Wisconsin products, including authentic Foamation cheeseheads and Racine Danish Kringles, fill the shelves. Casey is working on adding Door County wine to the offerings.

What about Wisconsin’s most famous cheese, the curds? They get vacuumed-sealed versions. Overnight shipping costs for fresh curds cost more than the cheese itself. There’s still some squeak, Taylor said.

You can coax some extra squeak with the microwave trick — zap them for a few seconds.

Taylor said there are more people from Wisconsin living in Charleston than they knew about.

Though folks don’t have to be from Wisconsin to appreciate the state’s most famous food export.

“Every time we tell people we are from Wisconsin, we always get asked about cheese right away,” Taylor said. “Although there are places to buy cheese here, there is nothing like the vision we have for our store.”

That vision includes spreading the flavor of Wisconsin.

“We hope to franchise the store in the future and introduce it into even more states,” Taylor said. “Which is even more exciting because America’s Dairyland can be enjoyed by that many more people around the country.”

The price tag for the Mark Clark Extension linking West Ashley to Johns and James islands has more than tripled to $2.35 billion and Charleston County would be responsible for most of the bill.

Some opponents are saying the excessive new cost figure for the final loop of the Interstate 526 system shows the route has gotten too expensive and should be dropped.

“It is time to say enough is enough,” said Jason Crowley of the Coastal Conservation League. “This to me is a perfect opportunity for Charleston County Council to walk away from this project.”

The S.C. Department of Transportation is asking the county to agree on moving forward, but with the local share of the project pegged at more than $1.9 billion it’s not clear where Charleston County would get the money.

Also favoring the completion is the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, which sees rising expenses as a reason to get it done as soon as possible, and the city of Charleston.

“No question, the cost estimates for major infrastructure projects in South Carolina are exploding, and (Interstate) 526 is no exception,” Mayor John Tecklenburg said in a prepared statement. “But that doesn’t change the fact that our West Ashley and Island residents need and deserve the traffic relief and public safety improvements this project will bring.”

The connection between Interstate 526 and the James Island Connector, aimed at easing traffic on and off Johns Island, has been debated for decades and growing more costly all the time.

The DOT’s new cost estimate is more than three times the $725 million price calculated in 2015, but all of the increase would fall to Charleston County because the state’s share of the cost was capped at $420 million in a 2019 agreement with the county.

Charleston County had expected to contribute about $305 million, not more than six times that amount.

“We’ll wait to see how the county responds,” said state Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall. “Our recommendation remains ... to proceed with preliminary activity on the project and get to the point where it would be shovel-ready.”

In a letter to the county April 25, Hall said DOT is asking the county and the state Transportation Infrastructure Bank Board for approval to spend $150 million for ongoing work to make the road plan ready for bids. The county would pay half that amount.

Beyond that, the highway department wants the county to demonstrate “a reasonable financial approach to the entire project.”

“I don’t know if people are going to have an appetite for it,” said County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor. “Where are we going to get the extra money from?”

County Council was expected to discuss the issue at its April 26 meeting, but instead Pryor announced that Hall would be attending the council’s Finance Committee meeting on May 5. No member of council mentioned the road project or the new cost estimate at the meeting, but several members of the audience did.

“My personal opinion is, we should just cut our losses and not spend another dime on the project,” said Linda Miller of Johns Island.

Supporters and opponents of the road plan have expressed shock over the new cost estimate. Bradley Taggart, a co-founder of Charlestonians For I-526, told County Council members that a temporary spike in commodity prices was likely to blame and could prove temporary.

“We could be looking at a project that costs half as much in six month’s time as the market rebalances,” he told council members.

The county and the state have each spent about $12.5 million on the project so far, Pryor said earlier in the day.

“The longer this thing is delayed, the more it’s going to cost,” said Pryor.

Hall said one reason the cost has gone up so much is the soaring price of real estate in Charleston County. Acquiring the land needed for the road would cost an estimated $261 million, she said.

The DOT estimate assumes construction could begin in 2028, and also assumes there would be two or three years of litigation before that.

A legal challenge to the project has been winding its way through the courts for years already, with the Coastal Conservation League fighting Charleston County’s 2019 agreement to pay all the costs exceeding $420 million.

Crowley, CCL’s communities and transportation senior program director, suggested the new cost estimate could open the door to negotiating a way out of the contract were the county to seek an exit.

The county is currently spending about $200 million improving Johns Island roads, the Limehouse bridge over the Stono River and the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 and Main Road.

The Coastal Conservation League has strongly opposed the I-526 extension, calling it in 2021 “a last-century highway project that benefits few and impacts many.” A community organization called Nix 526 has also been fighting the project, and Charleston Waterkeeper and the S.C. Wildlife Federation have raised objections.

Supporters of the proposed roadway include the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors and the Trident CEO Council, the city of Charleston, Charlestonians For I-526, and many residents of Kiawah Island.

“The new cost estimate is a direct result of what happens when a critical project is continually delayed, costs inevitably go up,” said the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. “The current cost of the project heightens the important need of completing this effort now.”

While Crowley said it’s time to say “enough is enough” the Chamber said “Now is the time to double down on our efforts” in a statement April 26.

Johns Island residents have been divided on the project, which would make it easier to get on and off the island but could increase development there. The island’s population has been growing quickly and many new residential subdivisions are underway.

Charleston governs a large part of Johns Island and has long supported the road project. City Council on April 26 unanimously adopted a resolution urging the county to continue moving forward.

If the extension were completed, there would be a highway loop around Charleston, with the interstate running from Mount Pleasant across Daniel Island, North Charleston and West Ashley, then becoming more of a low-speed parkway across Johns Island and connecting to the James Island Connector on James Island.

While the project would extend from the end of I-526 in West Ashley, DOT calls it the Mark Clark Extension. It’s separate from ongoing plans to widen the existing parts of the interstate from West Ashley to Mount Pleasant.