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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County leaders are taking another step towards a major road project, and they want community members to be a part of it.

The Main Road Segment A project is designed to improve areas of US-17 and Main Road. The goal is to improve congestion buildup and provide safer and more efficient travel for drivers in the area.

Project leaders are currently analyzing the marsh area South of 17 and East of Main Road and pile testing to make sure that everything is ready for construction in the next few months.

Project leaders are currently working to obtain permitting and right of way acquisition. The right of way acquisition process is a huge part of this and could continue into the summer. They have submitted 60% of their design plans to the regulatory agencies necessary and are continuing to work with the railroads and local utility companies to get the actual construction started. Utility relocation will be one of the first steps of the construction process.

Herbert Nimz is the Engineering Division Manager for Charleston County Public Works. He says that they hope to get all permits and begin construction by this May. This is a four-year project that they expect to complete before 2029.

Charleston County awarded a $354,000,000 construction contract for this project in September, so they are now taking the final steps before work begins.

The main goals of this segment of the project are to improve congestion at the intersection of US-17 and Main Road. Nimz says that they also hope to increase the number of cars that can travel along Main Road and improve safety so drivers can easily and efficiently access commercial and residential properties.

In addition to the major road work, there are also some cyclist and pedestrian elements included, as well as planned stormwater drainage improvements.

Nimz says that this project was necessary, as this is a constantly congested area.

“Anyone that’s driven on 17 turning onto Johns Island obviously has been stuck in that congestion. It does not matter what time of day,” he says. “It’s a very popular project as far as public input, but this is one of two ways on and off of Johns Island. It’s especially important during emergency evacuations. And it’s also necessary for people trying to get from Johns Island into Charleston. So we’re really excited.”

Nimz believes the completion of this project will provide a great benefit to all community members in the area. He says it will affect both motorized and non-motorized road users in a very positive way.

“I think people will not only be driving in a less congested area, but there is a multi-use path component. So, it’s a multimodal project,” he says. “It’s connecting Bees Ferry to the West Ashley Greenway. I think that brings a lot of benefit to the community just to get out and about, but primarily it’s a reduction in traffic congestion.”

Charleston County leaders will host quarterly public meetings on this project to be as transparent as possible with the community. The first quarterly public meeting is set to take place Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s High School, located at 1518 Main Road on Johns Island.

At this meeting, they will provide the latest updates on the project. Nimz says they want to share all of the behind scenes work that they have been doing, as well as provide community members the opportunity to ask any questions they may have about the project. Nimz says he understands that it may not look like they have done much yet, and they have received a lot of questions from community members about the project, but he wants to reassure everyone that they have done a lot of work that cannot be seen. He hopes at this meeting he can inform the public on all the behind the scenes work that has been done and provide some reassurance that this project is a priority.

Click here for more information about the Main Road Segment A project.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Construction is underway for a $5.8 million project on Johns Island.

The Barberry Woods Restoration Project aims to reduce flooding in Barberry Woods and The Cottages.

Flooding often blocks the single entryway in the Barberry Woods cutting off emergency services.

“That road into the community can be closed for almost a week. We need to have an access point into the neighborhood. We need the residents to be able to get out, we need emergency services to be able to get in,” City of Charleston Director of Stormwater Management Matthew Fountain said.

The project is expected to reduce flooding to less than eight hours during a 100-year storm event.

The City of Charleston estimates that 3,437 residents and 1,687 housing units will benefit from these stormwater improvements.

In a statement, Mayor William Cogswell said “Johns Island has long needed flooding relief in this area, and we’re grateful for SCOR’s partnership in making this project a reality. Once completed, it will significantly improve the quality of life for residents.”

$4.9M is funded by SCOR’s ARPA Stormwater Infrastructure Program. Director of Stormwater Management Matthew Fountain says part of the reason they got that funding was because it’s a green infrastructure project.

“Rather than taking the project, clearing all the trees and basically just building a big pond or something with large pipes and having a road on top of it that we can use for access or a pump station building, this goes back basically as a forest of wetlands,” Fountain said.

They’ll clear the property to dig out a lot of the land to build a low lying wetland area with a meandering stream through it.

The project will also include wetland storage cells, maintenance berms, a walkway and a bridge.

“Between trees and shrubs we’re planting more than 13 thousand individual planting over and then again we’ll preserve that in perpetuity so it will continue to expand out like you would see in any healthy ecological system over the years,” Fountain said.

Fountain said while they are in the tree clearing phase now, when it’s done, he thinks it will be a huge amenity for the community because of the walkway and greenspace it will provide.

Construction is estimated to take 10 months.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JOHNS ISLAND — The most popular person with the animals at Legare Farms is the one with the food.

On a cold and blustery March morning, Linda Legare-Berry is the day's star as she walks to a shed near the enclosure where the cows, donkeys, goats and pigs are. With part of the enclosure open, allowing the animals to wander, two Sicilian donkeys, Aurora and Coco, follow her into the shed as she gathers the stock feed pellets.

Legare-Berry shoos the donkeys away so she can close the door behind her. But Aurora and Coco wait and then follow her while she feeds the animals by hand, and almost fighting with the cows after the last of the pellets gets dumped on the ground.

Some animals have a particular taste for other morsels beyond stock feed, Legare-Berry notes.

"Coco loves marshmallows," she said as she fed the donkey.

Legare-Berry is the ninth generation of her family to work on Legare Farms, which is celebrating 300 years of operations this year. The 300-acre property is one of the oldest farms in South Carolina.

The farm, located down a long dirt drive off River Road south of the county airport, celebrated its historical milestone with a Heritage Day on March 8. The event included hayrides, antique tractors and a corn cannon. They also did demonstrations of activities that once took place on the farm, like indigo dyeing and candle makingree. There also were reenactments of the American Revolution and Civil War, both of which Legare family members fought in.

One of three siblings that runs the farm today, Legare-Berry has spent the last seven years working on a book that details its history, starting with Solomon Legare, a silver and goldsmith who immigrated from France in the late 17th century.

Legare-Berry said she worries if the history isn't written down, it will be lost to time. She hopes it will help her children and grandchildren learn the farm's past and continue running it for another 300 years.

History of cash crops and versatility

Solomon Legare bought property on Johns Island in 1725, which marked the beginning of Legare Farms. The first couple generations of Legares grew rice and indigo, Legare-Berry said. The fourth generation started growing Sea Island cotton, completing the big-three of cash crops grown on Southern plantations.

Legare-Berry said the farm did use slave labor.

"I don’t think there would be any farms anywhere in the Lowcountry that didn’t," she said. But other than one will from Thomas Legare in 1842, Legare-Berry said she hasn't been able to find other wills that mention any enslaved people by name.

She's found more information about enslaved people from records of the Johns Island Presbyterian Church, where both the Legare family as well as the enslaved laborers attended.

After the Revolutionary War, the farm stopped growing indigo. It stopped harvesting Sea Island cotton after World War I. In the 1920s, the family started growing cabbage and potatoes, Legare-Berry said. Over time they switched to grain, watermelons and cantaloupes, and started raising animals like cows and sheep.

Now, the Legares plant a variety of vegetables, like collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and squash.

Legare-Berry said the farm has continued to work for three centuries, in part, because of its versatility.

"So many of the other farmers that we've known had one niche that they were in, and when it failed for whatever reason, they couldn’t keep going," Legare-Berry said. "Our family has apparently always been very adaptable and willing to change with the times."

Wayne O’Bryant, historian at the Center for African American History, Art and Culture in Aiken, said it's impressive for Legare Farms to remain within the family for 300 years. There are several historic properties that are no longer owned by the families they're named after, like the William Aiken House on King Street, he said.

"It's not like it's the only case, but there's not a lot of cases of people holding on to (property) from the 1700s to the present," O’Bryant said. "It's relatively rare."

Many plantations are now designated historic sites and ownership has changed to a historic society or a municipality so it could be run as a tourist destination, O’Bryant said. What makes Legare Farms interesting is that it remains an operational farm and that's how the Legares make money, he said.

Legare-Berry said it can be a difficult responsibility to keep the farm going through tough times. But she's grateful the family has a beautiful piece of property on the Stono River and has the opportunity to bring kids out to the farm to teach them more about agriculture.

"When I was a teenager, I couldn't wait to get away," Legare-Berry said. "You couldn’t drag me away now."

Looking back, she said she realizes she had an idyllic childhood being raised on the farm. While she didn't enjoy having to work growing up, she now appreciates the work ethic she developed.

Second time's the charm!

When Lauren Fogelgren landed an unexpected job opportunity in Charleston, South Carolina, she and her husband jumped at the chance to move from Atlanta to the coast. "We've always been drawn to Charleston and wanted to be near the water but also felt like it would be a great place for our then 2-year-old child to grow up," says Fogelgren. After seeing this classic Colonial-style house in a quiet pocket of James Island, just a street over from rows of live oaks, the couple knew it was the one. "It felt like a family home," says Fogelgren. "I immediately loved how it had formal rooms but all of the spaces still felt connected. It was warm and welcoming." They also knew it needed a lot of TLC, especially when it came to updating the tight kitchen and baths.

Choosing a designer to tackle the renovation was easy. Before the move, they had been working with Laura Jenkins to reimagine their Atlanta bungalow. Halting progress there, the pair brought the Georgia designer along for the Lowcountry turnaround. "This is the third home we’ve lived in that was built in 1930, so I guess we have a thing for old houses," says Fogelgren.

The trio began inside, tweaking the floor plan and reconfiguring the furniture layout to make the most of the three-bedroom home’s 2,322 square feet. Outside, they leaned into the facade’s traditional style, framing the entry with wisteria and splashing the front door with Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster (No. 231). "Walking through downtown Charleston, there is so much inspiration and color," explains Fogelgren. "Since it’s a very black-and-white house, we wanted to brighten it and add some cheer." Here’s how the young couple, with Jenkins as their guide, infused the historic home with a comfortable, English-influenced blend of old and new.

Treat Your House Like a Blank Canvas

"The simple, muted palette of the home allows all the added layers to shine," says Jenkins of the entry, where the warmth of the original hardwood floors is balanced with a coat of Farrow &Ball’s French Gray (No. 18) on the trim and Benjamin Moore’s Simply White (OC-117) on the walls. Up the staircase, an ever-changing gallery wall introduces color and character. "These are mostly Charleston artists," says Fogelgren. “I’ve found a lot of vintage artwork and local pieces over the past few years.”

Let the Light in

The existing dark and closed off kitchen was far from inviting, so they doubled its size by combining the original space with the adjacent mudroom. "We have always had old houses that were very compartmentalized, so it made the biggest difference to open up the kitchen," says Fogelgren. To balance the newness, they found inspiration in English farmhouses. "We designed it with materials that will age with the home so it feels like it could have been here all along," says Jenkins.

Take a Moody Approach

A closet turned butler’s pantry, painted Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue (No. 289), brings a little drama to the otherwise light color scheme.

PHOTO:

Alison Gootee; Styling: Kate Malpeli

PHOTO:

Alison Gootee; Styling: Kate Malpeli

Go With the Flow

Because the couple loves to host, an area for carefree mingling with plenty of seating was essential. "We spend a lot of time out here, and with the indoor-outdoor flow, we always feel connected," says Fogelgren of the back patio, which is linked to the kitchen via bifold windows. While the covered porch and pool were existing, the bar setup is new. "It was previously just a plain wall of white siding asking for an upgrade," she remembers, so they added an awning to break it up and soften the look. "I’ve always loved Italian-esque stripes, and I feel like the classic black and white really brought it together."

PHOTO:

Alison Gootee; Styling: Kate Malpeli

PHOTO:

Alison Gootee; Styling: Kate Malpeli

Strike a Balance

The family of four wanted a comfortable, fuss-free area to gather. A sofa with room to sprawl out was their first purchase. "It’s become the space where we spend the most time," says the homeowner, whose grand-mother’s end table and antique coffee table tie it all together.

For a laid-back dining area that is equal parts fresh and timeless, Jenkins chose high-quality, casual pieces like a Knoll Saarinen table, a Serena & Lily light fixture, and a simplified take on wishbone chairs.

Make Smart Trade-Offs

Although square footage was limited, the couple was set on a king-size bed (Serena & Lily’s Webster), so they made other space-saving choices, forgoing side tables that were large enough to fit lamps in favor of smaller ones and swing-arm sconces. Art and textiles layer personality into the white room. "It’s very relaxing and gives us everything we need," says Fogelgren.

Add a Modern Touch

In the primary bath, the trio borrowed ideas from their Atlanta renovation, using finish selections and millwork designs by Hancock Surface Studio to turn a pint-size bath and walk-in closet into a spacious one with floor-to-ceiling cane wardrobes. To emphasize its abundant natural light, Jenkins filled the spot with tones and textures that nod to nature: Heath Ceramics Ogawa Green tile, white oak cabinets, and a linen Roman shade in Jennifer Shorto’s Oranges & Leaves. "For a contemporary take on traditional, we added a fluted-front bead detail to the cabinets, which are paired with a chunky Calacatta gold marble vanity," she says.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County Council approved a contract for some road and drainage improvements on James Island and now leaders are working to find the best way to tackle the project and keep the community informed.

The Central Park Road Improvements Project is a $2,718,669 project that will impact the portion of Central Park Road between Riverland Drive and Fleming Road, a heavily traveled area that is consistently flooded by tide water.

This has been in the works since 2019. Just last week, the county awarded a contract to Truluck Construction.

The City of Charleston worked with Charleston County to conduct drainage studies on this area.

They found that the flooding was significant and, not only inconvenient to those who frequent the area, but also dangerous.

This only getting worse as the area is experiencing an immense amount of growth with new developments popping up all along Central Park Road.

They found that this area in particular is a low-lying area and its proximity to the water and the drainage patterns cause severe flooding.

Where the flooding typically takes place is along a curved portion of the road that is already dangerous when dry and driving through just six inches of flood water can cause a loss of control and possible stalling, according to the National Weather Service. Not only that, but tide water can severely damage and corrode a vehicle.

Charleston County Councilwoman for District 9, Jenny Costa Honeycutt, shared how they plan to resolve this issue of flooding.

“This is one of those areas in Charleston County where on a sunny day… you would actually have to close this road on a king tide because water is topping the road. So, we’ve been working for several years on a solution and have finally reached a contract to raise the road so that the grade is higher than the area of water around it,” she said.

In addition to raising the road two feet, they will install three new upsized drainage pipes that will measure 48 inches in diameter. These new pipes will be outfitted with two tide gates and one tidal check valve to block incoming tides that exceed normal high tide elevations.

These measures will prevent roadway flooding and provide greater flow capacity by increasing stormwater storage upstream and allowing continual saltwater exchange through the crossing.

This road is a major thoroughfare for many drivers, even connecting Johns Island residents to the James Island Connector. Traffic is only increasing as the area grows.

This project will take about a year to complete, so Honeycutt says that they are currently working on a plan to do so with minimal inconvenience to the users of the road. She says they are actively working to notify the surrounding neighborhoods so that everyone understands how their travel patterns will be impacted.

While the road will not be closed for the entirety of the project, it will be closed for portions of it and sometimes those will happen at the same time closures take place for the Woodland Shores Sidewalk project which might be an alternate route for some drivers.

Honeycutt says they will ensure that everyone is prepared and understands the potential impacts to their driving routes. Overall, she believes the project will be for the greater good of the drivers in the area once it is completed.

“This project is going to benefit the community in multiple ways. For one, you won’t see as much of that sunny day closure of this road. It will improve the road itself. This road is somewhat dangerous on this curve, and it will just make it easier for the many folks who are traveling up and down this road daily to get to and from their destination,” she said.

As County leaders finalize their timeline for the project, they are also planning public meetings for the community to come out, ask questions and be fully informed of the closures and timeline, which will take place before construction begins. Those dates have not yet been determined.

Construction is set to begin in the next two to three months.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.