North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Charleston City Council has approved a $1.1 million contract to jumpstart construction on the Lowcountry Lowline. The two-phase plan will add new parks and public amenities to the area, the first phase of connecting three main districts on the peninsula.
Phase one of construction is planned to run from Mount Pleasant Street to Line Street along an old railroad bed under Interstate 26. Plans call for two paths, a 12-foot-wide bike trail and a 10-foot-wide walkway, separated by a landscaped median and a new passive park along the route.
Council is also considering adding Newmarket Creek to the project, creating a park.
The Lowcountry Lowline project is a 2015 initiative aimed at bringing a multi-use pathway along the peninsula, transforming the abandoned railway line under I-26 into a connector between West Ashley, North Charleston, downtown Charleston and Mount Pleasant.
The path is expected to serve both pedestrians and cyclists. Additionally, leaders are now able to apply for a $6 million grant with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to restore Newmarket Creek.