Safe Bike/Ped Access Across the Wappoo Cut
USDOT, USDOI, SCDOT, BCDCOG, Charleston County, City of Charleston
The Wappoo Cut Bridge is located along Folly Road between West Ashley and James Island. While it has sidewalks leading to it, and a maintenance path across, the space is too far narrow and close to fast-moving vehicles. This is a key corridor that links destinations with existing infrastructure and pending projects, including: the West Ashley Greenway, Maryville Bikeway, new Ashley River Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge, McLeod Plantation, Rethink Folly Road improvements, Maybank Highway complete streets work, James Island County Park, and more. Despite progress and opportunities on both sides, this bridge remains a barrier. We need a critical mass of support to make this crossing safe and comfortable for people to walk, bicycle, travel in wheelchairs, and with canes.
Sponsored by
To:
USDOT, USDOI, SCDOT, BCDCOG, Charleston County, City of Charleston
From:
[Your Name]
The Wappoo Cut Bridge in Charleston separates the areas of West Ashley and James Island. Each side has bicycle and pedestrian connectivity projects planned or underway, but the crossing itself is dangerous for vulnerable road users, creating a significant gap. Equitable, multi-modal access over the Wappoo Cut Bridge has yet to formally be studied.
Several regional plans, developed with input from local planners, elected officials and hundreds of citizens, support bike and pedestrian access in this area and over the Wappoo Cut, including: Walk Bike BCD, BCDCOG Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Battery2Beach (B2B), People2Parks (P2P), and Rethink Folly Road (RFR).
I ask that your agency assist in and support the study, conceptual planning, engineering, funding, permitting and ultimate construction of safe bicycle and pedestrian access at the Wappoo Cut crossing.