South Carolina Highway 30 (SC 30, also known as the James Island Expressway or the James Island Connector) is a 3.050-mile-long (4.908 km) freeway in Charleston, South Carolina. The freeway travels from SC 171 on James Island to U.S. Route 17 (US 17) in downtown Charleston.
Route description
SC 30 begins at SC 171 on James Island at exit 3. The interchange consists of a half-diamond interchange. From there, the highway runs northeast, and has two interchanges south of the Ashley River crossing. Exit 2 has access to Harbor View Road and exit 1 is for the Herbert U. Fielding Connector (SC 61).[2]
The route is an orphaned segment of Interstate 526 (I-526). Approximately seven miles (11 km) separate the eastern terminus of SC 30 from the eastern terminus of I-526's current extent. Mileage markers and exit numbers on both SC 30 and I-526 are based on an eventual merging of the routes: with miles 1 to 3 occurring on SC 30 and miles 10 to 30 used on the current I-526 route.[citation needed]
September 4, 1993; 31 years ago (September 4, 1993)
The bridge across the Ashley River is named the Robert B. Scarborough Bridge, named for a former state legislator and highway commissioner. The bridge is 2.9 miles (4.7 km) long and cost $124.7 million to build.[3] The bridge also crosses Wappoo Creek, which is a part of the Intracoastal Waterway.
The current route was proposed as early as the 1960s to provide a second and more direct connection between James Island and downtown Charleston. It opened on September 4, 1993, and provided a route off the island that did not require crossing a drawbridge.[3] The route was studied as a toll road in the 1960s, but it was determined that there was not sufficient traffic demand to fund the route and the bridge entirely by tolls.[4]
Future
The proposed missing section of I-526 was the subject of an environmental study that was completed in early 2014.[5] Various alternative routings and options are being reviewed, but the general plan is to extend south from US 17 to Johns Island and then east to James Island, where it will connect with SC 30 (possibly renumbering it). Some alternatives shown include the possibility that it will be built in expressway grade instead, falling short of being labeled an Interstate Highway.[6]
Citing Charleston County's inability to provide funds to cover the project's increased cost, the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank (SIB) board voted on May 26, 2016, to abandon the proposed extension of I-526 across James and Johns Islands.[7]
In 2021, SCDOT revived the 526-extension project. As of May 2023, they are aiming to start construction by 2025.[8] In December 2023, the South Carolina Joint Bond Review Committee approved the state's Transportation Infrastructure Bank's action Tuesday afternoon of providing $75 million for preliminary costs in the project, which is dubbed the Mark Clark Extension Project.[9]
^Staff. "RPA Overview"(PDF) (Map). Mark Clark Expressway Environmental Impact Study. South Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
