Grimball and Folly Stoplight

At the meeting regarding the Lively--the 300 plus apartments on Folly and Grimball--some members of the Grimball community brought up the stoplight at Grimball and Folly.   They asked  the elected officials there (which included me and all of Town Council) as well as County Councilman Joe Qualey, when will the stoplight be installed.    The question was quite pointed, suggesting that Councilman Qualey was personally responsible for the stoplight.   We listened to several members of the Grimball community recount accidents from the past.   There was also some whooping and hollering involved which I didn't quite grasp.
 
Somebody at the meeting (and I have no idea who it was,) said that the stoplight was coming in June.  That was news to me.  (Good news.)   Someone else said that it was approved but there was no money.   That was also news, but I am pretty certain it was wrong.    Liz Singleton gave an explanation why SCDOT (wrongly in her view) had said that the intersection did not need a stoplight.   This might have been true at one time, but it is no longer correct.

What I know is that over two years ago, many of the elected officials from James Island had a meeting with SCDOT at James Island Elementary School.   The SCDOT official said that conditions on Grimball and Folly did not merit a stoplight.   All the elected officials insisted that one was needed.  Councilman Qualey was there, along with Mayor Riley and I.   State Representatives Peter McCoy and Leon Stravrinakis were there too.  And many more.   SCDOT gave in.   The various local governments agreed to pitch in with money to help acquire right-of-way.   The Town committed to $6000 for its share.

So, where is the stoplight?   It is in "right of way" acquisition.     Folly Road and Grimball Roads are state roads.   That means that the South Carolina Department of Transportation manages them.   SCDOT is in charge of this project.   They are purchasing land around the intersection for the stoplight.  (Charleston County is not in charge and so members of County Council, including Councilman Qualey, have no particular influence.)

In my view, SCDOT has become somewhat more responsive to the members of the legislature since the flooding last fall.   Peter McCoy and Leon Stravrinakis were just informed by the SCDOT legislative liaison that the project is still in right of way acquisition (as it has been for more than two years now.)   The date was given as sometime "next summer."   I don't read that as being "this June."    The "government relations officer' at SCDOT did promise our State Representatives to see if it can be hurried up.