Online Meeting
Welcome!
A Faster Track to Better, Safer Connections
Welcome to the Rivers-Durant Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study Online Meeting. This is an opportunity to learn about the study, review current findings, and share your feedback. Your input is an important part of the process and will help shape transportation solutions that support the community now and into the future.
This study is evaluating options to improve:
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It will explore ways to improve travel through the corridor, including addressing the low bridge clearance at Hock Avenue and improving how people and goods move through the area. Led by the City of North Charleston, Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG), and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the effort is funded through the FRA Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Program and will support future environmental review and project development under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). While there is no state funding, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is providing technical assistance and review of documentation.
In accordance with 23 USC 139 and 168, the City of North Charleston intends to adopt the planning products and recommendations resulting from the PEL Study, including the Purpose & Need.
What is a PEL Study?
A Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study is an early planning process that brings transportation planning, environmental considerations, technical analysis, and community input together before formal environmental review begins.
It helps the study team identify needs, evaluate potential solutions, and understand potential
community and environmental effects early in the process.
For the Rivers-Durant PEL Study, the work is intended to inform a future project through the NEPA review process. This would reduce duplication, support better decisions, and help move a preferred solution toward construction more quickly, all while preserving flexibility for future refinement.
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Why is this study needed?
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The railroad crossing at Rivers and Durant Avenues creates traffic delays and safety concerns for people traveling through the area, including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, freight carriers, and emergency responders.
This Rivers-Durant PEL study is looking at ways to improve safety, reduce delays, and make it easier for people and goods to move through the corridor.
It also considers transportation issues at Hock Avenue and the Seven Mile Viaduct, along with potential impacts to nearby neighborhoods, businesses, and environmental resources. The study results will help guide future project planning and environmental review.
What to expect:
The Rivers-Durant PEL Study will take place in several phases through early Summer 2027, with opportunities for the public to provide input throughout the process. As the study progresses, the study team will:
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Review existing transportation conditions
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Identify needs and challenges
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Develop and evaluate potential solutions
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Consider community and environmental impacts
Public feedback will help inform study recommendations and future decision-making. Community members, businesses, and stakeholders can stay involved through public meetings, surveys, the project website, newsletters, and other outreach activities. The study's findings will help guide the next steps toward future environmental review and project development.
This online meeting is the first opportunity to gather public feedback as part of the PEL Study process. As you review the information presented throughout this online meeting, please consider the issues, opportunities, and priorities that are most important to you. You will have an opportunity to provide feedback at the end of this online meeting.
Study Overview
Project Goals
Safer Railroad Crossing
Less Neighborhood Traffic
Better Multimodal Connections
Support
Local Commmunities
Safer Pedestrian Access
Reliable Emergency Access
Prioritize Leveraging Innovation
Sustainability & Resilience
Draft Purpose & Need
A Purpose & Need statement serves as the foundation of a study or project and should reflect the why and how. The study team has developed an initial Purpose & Need statement below, but we want your thoughts to confirm this reflects the community’s goals and vision for the corridor in the future. Take a look and let us know what you think.
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Note: in accordance with 23 USC 139 and 168, City of North Charleston intends to adopt the planning products and recommendations resulting from the PEL Study, including the Purpose & Need.
Existing Conditions
To better understand transportation needs and opportunities within the study area, the study team is evaluating existing conditions related to traffic, environmental features, and community resources. This information will help identify current challenges, inform the study's Purpose & Need, and guide the development and evaluation of potential alternatives.
Traffic
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The study team is reviewing current traffic conditions throughout the corridor, including:
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Vehicle volumes
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Travel patterns
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Congestion
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Delays caused by railroad activity
Understanding how people and goods move through the area today will help identify transportation challenges and opportunities to improve safety, mobility, and reliability.
The image below shows the current traffic levels of traffic and vehicles per day (VPD). The study team conducted traffic counts during the morning (7AM to 9AM), midday (11AM to 1PM), and afternoon (4PM to 6PM) peak traffic periods, while schools were in session.
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Based on the numbers above, the Rivers Avenue corridor has significant traffic levels that are expected to increase with regional growth and local developments, including the new Roper Hospital and the Lowcountry Rapid Transit (LCRT) project coming online in the future. Traffic operations with existing traffic levels present challenges with long queuing times and challenges for turning vehicles at key intersections.
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In addition to traffic counts, the study team also documented the frequency of train crossings on the CSX line south of Durant Avenue over a one-week period. The study team recorded an average of 9.2 train crossings per weekday and 8 per weekend day. A total of 69% of crossings blocked traffic for less than five minutes, while 10% lasted 10 minutes or longer.
The study team reviewed crashes reported in the corridor between 2021 and 2025. A total of 548 crashes were reported along the approximately two-mile-long segment of Rivers Avenue between Mall Drive and Helm Avenue at rates exceeding the statewide average
217% for fatal and serious injury crashes.
for similarly classified roadways statewide by 162% for all crash severities and
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The image to the left highlights the most common locations for crashes in the area. This information shows the intersection of Rivers and Durant Avenues with Meeting Street Road had the highest number of crashes, with 1-in-5 crashes occurring at this location. Based on this information, the study team will evaluate opportunities to improve safety at this location as the study progresses.
Bicycle- and pedestrian-involved crashes, while representing less than 5% of all reported crashes, accounted for more than 20% of fatal and serious injury crashes, underscoring a disproportionate safety risk to vulnerable road users along the corridor. Review of the available reports for fatal and serious injury crashes reinforced these corridor-wide patterns and further identified a concentration of severe crashes near the Rivers Avenue/Durant Avenue/Meeting Street Road intersection cluster, several of which occurred after dark in areas identified as having non-operating streetlights.
Environmental Resources
The study area includes a variety of environmental resources and features that may influence future transportation improvements.
The study team is identifying important natural and community resources, including waterways, wetlands, floodplains, neighborhoods, potential historic sites, and schools, to help ensure potential transportation solutions reflect the needs and character of the area.
Documenting these resources is important to understanding the area and identifying opportunities and constraints early in the planning process, helping the study team evaluate potential solutions and their potential benefits and impacts to deliver a result that meets Purpose & Need and benefits the community.
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Communities
The corridor serves nearby neighborhoods, businesses, schools, community facilities, and other important destinations. The study team is evaluating how people access and move through the area today and identifying community resources that should be considered as transportation solutions are developed.
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Now we want to hear from you!
Based on what you have seen, what are your thoughts on the transportation needs and priorities along the Rivers Avenue corridor?
Your feedback can help refine the study's Purpose & Need, identify important environmental and community resources, and guide the evaluation of potential solutions. Whether you live, work, travel, or own a business in the area, your input will help shape recommendations for safer, more connected, and more reliable transportation improvements.
Share your comments
Whether you have a question, concern, or idea about the Rivers-Durant PEL Study, your feedback can help us better understand the community's needs and priorities as the study moves forward.
As you provide your feedback, consider the following questions:
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What transportation issues or concerns do you experience in the study area?
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Do you agree with the proposed Purpose and Need for the study? Why or why not?
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Are there important community, environmental, or cultural resources that should be considered?
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What improvements would make it easier and safer to travel through the corridor?
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Do you have any additional comments or suggestions for the project team?