JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) – The South Carolina Department of Transportation is working to improve safety on Folly Road.
In May 2023, SCDOT did a road safety audit of Folly Road and after studying the data, they were able to present improvement concepts to the public. Now, the department is seeking input from the community.
In the SCDOT presentation, they revealed data from a 5 mile section of Folly Road. They looked at the area from Old Folly Beach Road to Maybank Highway. From 2018 to 2022, this small area experienced over 2,103 car accidents, 15 pedestrian accidents and 21 bicycle accidents. 525 of these accidents resulted in injury and 6 of them were fatal.
SCDOT is proposing some road safety improvements for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians including the addition of elements like high visibility crosswalks, relocating bus stops, adding landscaped medians similar to those on Highway 176 in Goose Creek and new pavement markings.
Several residents in the area shared their concerns with the safety of Folly Road. Many said they are excited to see change being made.
Some elements that residents expressed they would like to see added to Folly Road include more crosswalks, more lights and wider roads.
Joyce Ballard has been a resident of James Island for eight years. She suggested more traffic lights and more crosswalks because this road is so frequently utilized, but it isn’t safe enough for the volume of traffic they see.
“It has to be safe because it’s the only road that we have, but I don’t think it’s safe,” she said.
Bobbi Butler moved to James Island two years ago. She said that change needs to happen and she is eager to see what comes of this project.
“Anything that they could do, even for the bikes or pedestrians or cars, Folly Road definitely needs some attention to take care of things on the road,” Butler said.
Kathy Mehrzad moved from Virginia to James Island in 2014. She compares the traffic to Washington D.C. and claims she would rather drive in D.C.
Mehrzad said when she first moved to James Island she would walk and bike on Folly Road, but that ended very quickly.
Now that both she and her family members have gotten in accidents on Folly Road, she tries to avoid even driving on the road. She limits her walking and biking to nearby parks and trails where she feels safer. She said that if pedestrian safety was prioritized on the road, she would use it, but not in the state that it’s currently in.
“I have witnessed many an accident. After my husband and daughter and I moved down, we each had an accident – not our fault – been hit from behind. In fact, [my daughter] had to have rehab,” Mehrzad said. “No, I don’t feel safe on Folly Road. There’s just too much traffic… people come in every which direction, and most are not giving signals, not paying attention. So, I pick and choose when I come out.”
SCDOT is looking to begin construction on these improvement projects in 2026. In the meantime, they are accepting public comment on these proposals so anyone can weigh in with their feedback.
All comments are due by Nov. 22. A link to submit public comments can be found here.
Representatives with the department say that all new sidewalks will be added at specific locations, which are detailed in the project’s concept mockups. More information about these proposals can be found here.
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