Behind Charleston’s movement to stop a destructive highway project

For decades, SELC and partners fought the overpriced and destructive I-526 or “Mark Clark” Extension. The highway threatened to unleash a slew of impacts on Charleston County from West Ashley, across the sea islands, to downtown Charleston. After a proposed sales tax that would have funded the project was overwhelmingly rejected by voters, opponents are celebrating its demise. 

The highway would have destroyed park space and wetlands, plowed through historic African-American communities, and exacerbated suburban sprawl across fragile, low-lying sea islands. 

Before the election, Giovanni Richardson, President of the Battery Island Drive Neighborhood Association, was concerned about potential impacts to her community from the extension. While the Battery Island Drive community, also known as the Beefield Community, lies several miles south of the path of the extension, she knew that a new highway just up the road would negatively impact their neighborhood. 

“We’re going to be seeing more traffic and development,” said Richardson. “We know developers are going to go after the people with generational property and might not live here. If those are families in tough financial situations, they can’t fight it.” 

In November, a local question on Charleston County ballots asked voters to approve a special tax to fund transportation projects. Voters were led to believe that the $5.4 billion transportation sales tax would be spread out to fund a slate of projects throughout the county including local road improvements, mass transit, and land conservation measures. 

In reality, the 25-year tax would devote nearly half of the proceeds to the extension and underfund preferred solutions to traffic like local road improvements and public transit. In violation of state law, the ballot not only neglected to mention the extension at all, but it also forced voters to support funding for the extension if they wanted to support land conservation and mass transit.  

In response, SELC filed suit against Charleston County on behalf of the Coastal Conservation League and individuals Mary Edna Fraser and Glenda Miller, arguing that the referendum’s lack of information severely and illegally impacted voters’ ability to make an informed vote and forced voters into an all-or-nothing decision. 

At the time, renowned artist Mary Edna Fraser said, “There are alternative ways to build a road for less money, which would help with traffic while protecting what makes Charleston such a unique place. It is horrible to think voters won’t have a clear picture of what they are voting for and could end up supporting a project that would displace families and destroy the wetlands and rivers.” 

After a trial this summer, the court concluded that the appropriate time for any lawsuit challenging the ballot measure would be after the election if the referendum passed.  

This referendum was not the first time Charleston County tried to trick voters into funding the extension. In 2016, county council members swore not to use sales tax proceeds on the extension but did so anyway. By 2024, the County had only finished one project from the project list actually proposed in 2016.

In the months leading up to the 2024 election, voters and community groups voiced more frustrations with Charleston County council and the ballot language itself. SELC and partners also worked to ensure voters knew what the real purpose of the referendum was: the Mark Clark Extension.  

With hundreds of yard signs, flyers, op-eds, and public comments, opponents of the extension and the sales tax to fund it made themselves clear: “Vote No.” 

The results were decisive: the sales tax failed by a margin of 61 to 39 percent, with only 11 precincts out of 182 in favor of the sales tax. 

Only one region in the county voted in favor of the sales tax, and all of those most affected by the extension (James Island, Johns Island, and West Ashley) voted no. 

Building on the win for opponents, in December, the South Carolina Joint Bond Review Committee formally revoked existing support and funding for the extension, officially dooming the project. After decades of fighting for traffic solutions that didn’t threaten communities and the environment, local advocates could celebrate. 

In 2025, Charleston County looks to the future, aiming to work with neighbors, community leaders, and county council members to create both a more transparent ballot and a better list of solutions for a 2026 transportation sales tax referendum.  

“This was a project conceived of in the 1960s that was only going to worsen today’s traffic problems,” said Chris DeScherer, SELC South Carolina Office Director. “We look forward to turning the page on this outdated and harmful project and working to support more effective solutions for the region moving forward.”