State bank and Charleston County approve new deal to extend I-526
A new deal to complete Interstate 526 over James and Johns islands could put the roughly $725 million project back on track after years of wrangling.
The state bank that funds large highway projects voted 5-2 Thursday to approve a new 21-page contract with Charleston County Council, allowing the two to meet an already extended deadline for agreeing how to proceed with the project that’s been on life support for years.
“Truly today is a transformational day for a project that looked like it was completely dead in June,” former Rep. Chip Limehouse, a board member who’s long championed the extension, said after the meeting. “At the end of the day, we won. This is the day we scored the touchdown. Boom! 526 will be built.”
