Help us stop the Mark Clark Extension and Fix Johns Island's Roads First.

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Why not extend I-526 over rural John’s Island, James Island and West Ashley?

This is a working list of reasons not to build the Mark Clark expressway to Johns Island.  Please email us if you've thought of a reason that we have not listed.  

1. It is a huge project that will cost over 420 million dollars. Those figures are from 1995, so the project cost could have risen to well over half of a billion dollars. There are alternative, smaller road projects that can be done that would cost less money, have less impact and would solve the problems that the Mark Clark is purported to solve.

2. The money saved from an alternative approach could be spent to improve your local roads that need help first.

3. Traffic studies show that the I-526 extension will not alleviate traffic on many of the congested roadways compared to today. Some roads like Savannah Highway and Folly Road will still have failing levels of service with the Mark Clark extension completed. It is wasteful to spend so much money for such mixed results. A smarter alternative would address the traffic problem better than the Mark Clark and cost less.

4. In general, traffic on Johns Island will get worse. Although some parts of Johns Island are expected to benefit from the construction of the Mark Clark extension, other parts will get worse. In truth, the Mark Clark will simply shift traffic problems from one part of Johns Island to another.

5. Growth follows infrastructure. A study commissioned by Charleston County Council reveals that if you build the Mark Clark extension, the population of Johns Island will double by 2030.

6. With the large amount of area for construction and the induced development, I-526 will ruin the rural and natural character of John’s Island that so many people from the area know and love.

7. Other projects deserve the money more than the extension of the Mark Clark. There are more important projects that would benefit more people that were denied funding so the Mark Clark extension could be built. Highway 17 through the ACE Basin and I-26 on the Charleston peninsula are two good examples. Until the SC Transportation Infrastructure Bank finishes paying off the Mark Clark extension, these road projects can not be completed.

8. Long-time residents, minority populations, and low-income residents could be negatively affected by the rapid rise in property values due to the Mark Clark extension, a study commissioned by Charleston County finds.

9. The Mark Clark extension passes close to two schools: The noise and pollution that the young students would suffer would be detrimental to their health and well-being.

10. Three of the four proposed alternatives of the Mark Clark take land from the James Island County Park, a cherished county resource. It will surely reduce the revenue from camping in the park, as few people want to camp within a few hundred feet of an elevated expressway.

11. The city of Charleston recently approved the John’s Island Community Plan, which emphasizes the rural character, walkable neighborhoods, and managed growth. I-526 is against the spirit of the plan and a disservice to the citizens who worked hard for its passage.

12. Freeways divide neighborhoods, destroy communities, and interrupt the pace of life that people appreciate about John’s Island.

13. The Mark Clark extension will cause increased degradation of the marsh and Stono River due to the construction of the road and bridges. The previous Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluated four alternative routes for the Mark Clark extension. According to the EIS, the depending on the chosen route, the extension of the Mark Clark will require filling between 91.6 and 108.9 acres of wetland.

14. Extending I-526 will increase pollution in the waters in the Stono River and adjacent marsh due to oil and gas runoff from the highway and increased impervious surface from induced development. Abundant research on rivers and estuaries confirms that when impervious surfaces cover more than ten percent of a watershed, the rivers, creeks, and estuaries they surround become biologically degraded.

15. The extension of the Mark Clark will cause a loss of wildlife habitat on Johns and James Island and West Ashley. According to the latest Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the extension will directly impact between 66.4 and 77.2 upland acres. However, the indirect effects on habitat of induced development will be much more significant.

16. According to the latest Environmental Impact Statement, traffic from the extension of I-526 will cause a substantial increase in noise affecting Johns Island, James Island and West Ashley residents near the road and affecting boaters using the river and creeks.

17. The Mark Clark will visually pollute the Lowcountry vistas we love.

18. Light pollution due to automobile/truck headlights and any permanent highway/bridge lighting installed by DOT will affect Johns Island, James Island, and West Ahsley residents and loggerhead turtle nesting sites.