A drawing of the future Long Point Road interchange off Interstate 526 in Mount Pleasant. (S.C. Department of Transportation)
COLUMBIA — A $195 million federal grant completes funding for a new interchange in Mount Pleasant that provides truckers a direct route to South Carolina’s port while easing local traffic headaches.
The grant, officially announced Monday, marks the single largest grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in the state’s history.
It tops the now-second-largest grant announced in July by $20 million. That $175 million award will help replace Interstate 95 bridges over Lake Marion to keep traffic flowing on the critical East Coast corridor.
This project will connect Interstate 526 with the port’s busiest terminal, enabling commerce to flow faster to and from the state’s economic engine.
The Long Point Road interchange will provide commercial truckers direct access with “flyover ramps” from I-526 to the Wando Welch Terminal, substantially reducing neighborhood congestion while significantly improving the port’s operations, DOT Secretary Justin Powell told the SC Daily Gazette.
“It’s a big deal and a major win for South Carolina,” he said.
While the state applied for the grant in the spring, the interchange has been in the works for several years.
“Knowing the funding is now in place for this critical interchange project that will support both commerce from the port and alleviate traffic congestion for citizens means we can continue to build South Carolina both now and for the future,” said Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
In conjunction with the state’s other investments at the Port of Charleston, to include deepening the Charleston Harbor shipping channel and opening of the new Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston, the new route will “make our competitive edge a little bit stronger,” Powell said.
The interchange’s total estimated cost is $325 million. Of the remaining $130 million, $65 million comes from the state’s normal share of federal gas taxes, and $65 million will be funded through state gas taxes.
Construction will likely start in 2027 and take three years to complete, Powell said.
The project was among 44 announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Transportation totaling $4.2 billion.
Gov. Henry McMaster called the interchange “an investment in both our economy and the quality of life of our people that will reduce congestion, improve safety, and enhance access to the port.”
Other benefits to the community include a 10-foot multi-use path and noise walls. The design will also include electronic signage for truckers to reduce their wait times.
The interchange is part of a much larger project dubbed the Lowcountry Corridor, which involves widening, rebuilding and elevating Interstate 526 from West Ashley to Mount Pleasant. It’s expected to be the largest road project in state history at an estimated cost of $7 billion.
While the official announcement came out Monday morning, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn made the interchange funding known last week when he told attendees at the annual “State of the Port” address that the grant was approved.