Councilmember to add Harbor View Road / Buxton Bridge to State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) requested project list
Charleston County Councilmember Joe Qualey has requested that a replacement of the Buxton Bridge, located on Harbor View Road, to a four-lane bridge, be added to the State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) Project List for funding assistance. This replacement would also accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. The SIB has opened the application process for submissions from local government organizations and recently extended the deadline to Feb. 28, 2017. Projects eligible for the consideration include new or improved highways or bridges with a cost of at least $25 million.
"All James Islanders recognize the present bridge to be a traffic bottleneck and a danger to cyclists and pedestrians. Without a replacement, Harbor View Road will continue to operate at a low level of efficiency," said Qualey. This is an exciting funding opportunity, which I intend to pursue aggressively and with vigor."
In addition to the Harbor View Road / Buxton Bridge project, staff will be working on the following priority list for project applications:
- S.C. 41 Improvements / U.S. 17 to Wando Bridge
- U.S. 17 at Main Road flyover and widening of Main Road
- U.S. 78 Improvements from U.S. 52 to County line
- Dorchester Road Widening
Background information from SIB:
The Bank invites the submission of applications from local governments (project sponsors or owners) for financial assistance of transportation projects. The Bank will evaluate the applications and projects, which are determined to be eligible and qualified based on the Bank's application criteria, the Bank's Operating Guidelines, the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank Act, and Act 275 of 2016 (see attached Addendum). The Bank will render decisions on those applications by Sept. 1, 2017. The projects approved for financial assistance by the Bank will be submitted for review and consideration to the SCDOT Commission and the General Assembly's Joint Bond Review Committee.
Please note, that a project must have a total minimum eligible project cost of at least $25 million and have a minimum score under the factors listed in the application of '70.' Projects may not be combined to meet the minimum project cost. Local financial matches, as explained in the Operating Guidelines, Procedures, and Standard Conditions, are an important factor in the review of a project. The projects will also be ranked by the Bank with the assistance of SCDOT based on the criteria noted in Section 7 of Act 275 of 2016. The bank may fund complete projects, partial projects, or no projects annually.
----------