By Mike McCombs
The Island News
The South Carolina Office of Resilience (SCOR) and the City of Beaufort were set to begin construction this week on the Charles/Craven Ctreet Stormwater Improvements project.
According to the SCOR, the City of Beaufort’s downtown stormwater infrastructure, installed around 1900, no longer has the capacity to adequately store and channel stormwater during heavy rain events. The City was awarded $11.9 million for the project’s engineering, design, permitting, and construction as part of SCOR’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Stormwater Infrastructure Program (ASIP).
According to the SCOR’s news release from Oct. 13, the project will install larger pipe along North, Craven, and Charles Streets, which will lead to a new tidal check valve at the waterfront. These upgrades will provide protection against rainfall and riverine flooding above a 25-year, 24-hour storm event. Minor enhancements to the roadsides will improve pedestrian mobility and safety, as well.
“The project is located at the epicenter of the City of Beaufort which serves as a significant historic, recreational, and economic driver for the region and state,” S.C. Chief Resilience Officer Ben Duncan said in the news release. “Mitigating the risk of losses due to flooding is therefore a priority, and we are glad to see this project kicking off.”
In the release, City Manager Scott Marshall said “City staff are diligently working to keep residents and businesses informed about how the construction might affect their daily routines. We are also collaborating closely with the contractor and project managers to minimize these impacts whenever possible. The resulting product will be a more resilient drainage system that will benefit our current population and future generations.”
The City held a project update meeting for residents and stakeholders affected by the construction on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the City Planning Room at City Hall. At that meeting, Raul Dominguez, the City’s Capital Improvement Program Director gave an overview of how the project would work.
According to Dominguez, Bay Street will initially remain open. The project will begin at the intersection of Bay and Charles streets and work toward Craven Street.
The plan is to work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, with all work being covered by the end of work each day. The work will progress in 60-foot lengths, the same as the length of pipe segments being used.
There will be no planned night work until later in the project when the actual intersection of Bay and Charles streets is excavated.
The work will progress from Bay Street down Charles Street, through Port Republic Street, right on Craven Street, again up Charles Street to North Street and right before turning right onto West Street. The contractor, Gulfstream, will provide detour signs and flagmen for the duration of the work.
303 Associates is providing parking in its lot for those businesses and residents whose street parking is affected by the construction.
“It is our intent, every day at work’s end,” Dominguez said, “to announce where[the construction is] and what’s happening the next day.”
Dominguez also said crews from Beaufort-Jasper Water Sewer Authority would also be on hand, and if there was a need for water to be shut off, residents and businesses would get a 24-hour notice.
“The only way I can win is through communication,” Dominguez said, sympathizing with business owners’ concerns at the meeting.
The largest portion of work will begin in late February or early March 2026 when the contractor will address the Bay Street-Charles Street intersection. The entire intersection must be excavated and will remain closed to auto traffic, along with the section of Bay Street up to West Street. The entrance to the Marine at the traffic signal will be closed, as well, as construction works its way to the water.
In all, the construction is expected to last 235 days, concluding before next summer.
Despite the inconvenience, the improvements should be significant. Enlarging drains and doubling the size of drainage pipes will allow four times as much water to drain off City streets.
Mike McCombs is the editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
