$144M infrastructure project near Charleston airport closer to reality

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A project to build a new access road for Charleston International Airport appears to be finally cleared for take-off.

The S.C. Joint Bond Review Committee recently voted to approve an additional $22 million for Charleston International’s Airport Connector Road project. The committee had previously approved $14 million for the project in 2014.

The total cost of the project is $144 million.

The project, in planning for more than a decade, is being funded through several sources, with the S.C. Department of Transportation putting $69 million toward the project, Charleston County putting in another $18.1 million and the federal government chipping in $16.1 million. Along with the $22 million Strategic Economic Development Fund grant approved Jan. 25, the S.C. Deptartment of Commerce is putting in $17 million.

About $1.7 million remains to be funded.

The purpose of the project is to relocate the current entrance road to Charleston International Airport from International Boulevard to the perimeter of Boeing’s expansion property by providing direct access to the airport from Interstate 526. Plans call for the proposed five-lane road to run along Montague Avenue and tie into the existing airport loop road.

 According to airport, county, and Deptartment  of Commerce officials, the new road should significantly relieve congestion currently caused by the sheer traffic volume currently traveling International Boulevard and the surrounding areas. Once the project is completed, the entry way to the airport, located on International Boulevard, will disappear; however, access to South Aviation Avenue from International Boulevard will still be available.

“The project will alleviate existing and increasing traffic congestion in the vicinity of the airport by providing direct access to the airport from I-526, and separating airport and commuter traffic from traffic to and from Boeing’s campus,” Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey wrote in a letter of support to the Joint Bond Review Board in December 2022.

The ACR is not only part of a long-term plan to alleviate traffic congestion in the area — especially on International Boulevard, which is heavily traveled in both directions — but is also part of a commitment by the state to further enable Boeing’s consolidation of manufacturing operations for the 787 Dreamliner in Charleston.

“In discussing the need for the funding, we identified the contribution to the ACR project because of the State’s long-standing commitment in connection with the relocation of International Boulevard off of the Boeing expansion property,” Lightsey wrote in his letter to the Joint Bond Commission. “Boeing’s decision in 2020 that it would consolidate assembly of the 787 Dreamliner to its North Charleston facility include the company’s reliance on this commitment that will enable expansion of Boeing’s operations in North Charleston."

The Joint Bond Committee acknowledged that “fulfillment of the State’s commitment is underscored by Boeing’s announcement on Dec. 13, 2022, of a firm order by United Airlines for one hundred 787 Dreamliners to be delivered by 2032, with an option for an additional 100 Dreamliners in the future.”

The ACR is also expected to aid in the projected future growth of Charleston International Airport. According to Charleston International Airport statistics, the airport served more than 2.6 million passengers in 2022; that number is expected to increase to around 6 million by the end of 2024. Long-term expansion plans currently call for 11 new gates, two new wings, and another parking deck, according to airport officials.

If all goes as planned, bids for the ACR project will go out in second quarter 2024 with construction getting under way in third quarter 2024.

– By Jim Tatum