Sunset Blvd. residents turn out for ‘ideas’ meeting

More than 80 residents, invited by the Sea Island Coalition to a meeting to discuss traffic plans for Sunset Blvd., turned out June 4 loaded with questions and ideas for managing traffic in the riverfront neighborhood.
After a brief review of the Lady’s Island Plan by Sea Island Coalition’s Chuck Newton and Robert Merchant of the County Community Development Department, County Engineer Robert McFee chaired a session designed to get residents’ views of future traffic management on Sunset Boulevard, which currently carries about 3,000 vehicles per day.
The large group was divided into three smaller groups during the event, during which residents charted concerns on flip charts for discussions. Concerns and ideas from fell into four general categories: Traffic “calming,” traffic enforcement, environmental/character preservation and volume management.
Of 154 votes cast on different ideas during the meeting, environmental and “character preservation” issues led the list, with 40 percent of total votes. Volume management concerns fell into second place (28 percent) with traffic calming garnering 17 percent of responses and traffic enforcement registering 15 percent.
McFee told the group that its input was important, as no work has yet been done on Sunset Blvd. projects approved in a county-wide funding referendum last November. The only one of the nine projects approved by voters on which design work is under way is a new right-turn-only lane at Sam’s Point Road southbound at the Sea Island Parkway.
“We appreciate everyone taking time out of their schedules to review this project with us,” McFee said in a release. “Real work on Sunset Blvd is likely 18 months away, and I assure you that comments from tonight’s meeting will provide guidance for the process.”
McFee noted that there would be additional opportunities for public input before work would begin on any Sunset Blvd projects.
To read more about The Lady’s Island Plan and the Lady’s Island Corridor Traffic Study, visit https://tinyurl.com/y6o5dafx.