CHATS commits additional $14M to Ashley River Crossing

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The Charleston Area Transportation Study policy committee has committed an additional $14 million in infrastructure funding to the city of Charleston’s Ashley River Crossing project, according to a news release. The planned bike-ped bridge will connect West Ashley and Downtown Charleston — and more than 100,000 residents — by establishing a route over the Ashley River for non-motorists.

City and Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Government officials worked with S.C. Transportation Secretary Christy Hall to secure the allocation, which will arrive through the regional “guideshare” funding program. The Council of Government, which administers the CHATS metropolitan planning organization, leveraged federal and state money earmarked for transportation management agencies, the news release said.

“Our state-level partners recognized the regional significance of the Ashley River Crossing and the excellent plan in place for the project,” CHATS Executive Director Ron Mitchum said in the release. “That was followed today by unanimous regional support from our board. The entire process is a textbook example of the collaboration and consensus we seek to build in these types of projects.”

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said the project will bring much-needed diversity to transportation options.

“At a moment when our citizens are rightly demanding expanded transportation alternatives, Ashley River Crossing is a true game-changer for choice and mobility throughout the region,” Tecklenburg said in the release. “And on behalf of our city, I’d like to thank Secretary Christy Hall, Director Ron Mitchum and Charleston City Council for their ongoing and critical support of this vital project.”

When combined with a variety of local and federal funding sources already in hand, this CHATS allocation brings the city within reach of the project’s estimated $41.2 million price tag, with just $1 million still needed, the release said.