Planned Highway Expansion Would Cut Into Black Community in Charleston

The Biden administration's efforts to curb the tendency of highway expansions to cut into Black communities will be tested by the West I-526 Lowcountry Corridor plan in North Charleston, South Carolina.

1 minute read

September 9, 2021, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The West I-526 Lowcountry Corridor is moving forward with plans to expand the roadway in South Carolina, seizing property in surrounding Black communities along the way.

"South Carolina is proposing to sweep aside dozens of homes, and potentially hundreds of people, to widen a freeway interchange choked with traffic in this booming coastal region," report Darryl Fears and John Muyskens. "The $3 billion project is expected to begin about two years after the plan becomes final."

Fears and Muyskens note that the West I-526 Lowcountry Corridor is moving forward despite vows by President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to undo the racist legacy of U.S. transportation infrastructure.

The West I-526 Lowcountry Corridor plan won't be the final highway expansion pursued at the expense of existing Black communities either.

If Charleston County has its way, the roadbuilding and housing destruction would not stop in North Charleston. In late August, officials unveiled a separate, $720 million plan for an expressway to begin near the expanded beltway and extend south to rural Johns Island and suburban James Island. Both places contain historic African American enclaves, where formerly enslaved people spread out from a nearby plantation in the 1870s.

The feature article includes interactive maps and graphics, as well as additional details about the history, politics, and consequences of transportation planning in the state and region.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

25mph speed limit sign with digital "Your Speed" sign below it.

Philadelphia Launches ‘Speed Slots’ Traffic Calming Pilot

The project focuses on a 1.4-mile stretch of Lincoln Drive where cars frequently drive above the posted speed limit.

45 minutes ago - WHYY

UPS delivery cargo bike with covered front seat in New York City

NYC Delivery ‘Microhubs’ Aim to Cut Down on Truck Pollution

The hubs are designed to provide parking for large delivery trucks, which can pass on their cargo to bikes or other zero-emission vehicles.

2 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Aerial view of Albuquerque, New Mexico at sunset.

New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico

An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.

May 16 - Source NM