Second Public Meeting

On October 19, 2023, the project team hosted a public meeting to present the preferred alternative for the Arctic Avenue Plan. You can review all the information presented at that meeting.

The design team has come up with a preferred alternative for the Commercial and Residential Districts.

How did we determine a preferred alternative?

Public Comments

The majority of public comments following our first public meeting favored Alternative 2, a multiuse path on the south (beach) side of Arctic Avenue, for both the Commercial and Residential Districts. You can view a complete summary of the feedback here. The highest reoccurring comment cited safety as a concern along Arctic Avenue. Many respondents worry about wrong way driving, visibility, emergency vehicle access, and speeding. The project team suggests several improvements that will help to address those issues:

  • Raised crosswalks will enhance pedestrian visibility and encourage slower driving.

  • Clearer signage and high visibility markings will help discourage wrong way driving. The plan includes conducting a sign inventory to identify where updates to signage should take place.

  • In addition to a dedicated path for pedestrians and cyclist, the plan reduces the crosswalk distance. This feature allows for a quicker crossing of Arctic Avenue.

  • The single travel lane with a buffer on both side of the street will provide the space necessary for emergency vehicles.

Traffic Study

The project team collected traffic counts within the Commercial and Residential Districts over a 24-hour period during off-peak and peak seasons. This data provided a picture of how people utilize the corridor and helped determine design elements of the preferred alternative.

Existing Speed Summary

This table shows the speed at which 85% or less of the drivers travel on Arctic Avenue.

Preferred Alternative

Commercial District

2nd Street West to 2nd Street East

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Residential District

2nd Street East to 12th Street East and West Arctic Avenue from 2nd Street West to 3rd Street West

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Comment Summary

Throughout the 32-day public input period, we received 18 comments. Majority of the comments (61%) supported the preferred alternative for both the Residential and Commercial Districts: narrowing Arctic Avenue to a single lane with a multiuse path on the south (beach) side of the road.

Comment Themes

Parking Concerns

We received several comments expressing confusion on where to park and if the plan will provide additional, or remove existing, parking.

The proposed plan will provide paved parking spaces along the south (beach) side of the street and still allow shoulder parking on the north (island) side. The project will slightly decrease the total allowable auto parking spaces by 5% (382 to 362 total spaces). The plan does include additional designated parking for golf carts and bicycles along the corridor.

Block Traffic

Some comments voiced concerns that reducing Arctic Avenue to a single lane will cause traffic congestion.

Traffic counts conducted during peak hours at the height of beach season do not indicate that removing a vehicular travel lane will significantly increase traffic congestion.

Drainage Improvements

Will the plan address drainage along Arctic Avenue?

The primary goal of this project is to improve safety, accessibility, and mobility for all users including auto, bikes, and pedestrians. A secondary goal of this project is to improve drainage when it aligns with roadway improvements. Examples include removing low points in the roadway that collect water during rain events and improving existing drainage structures that fall within the project’s limits.

Additional Lighting

Residents asked if the plan would include additional lighting at crosswalks along the corridor.

The next phase of the design will consider additional lighting along the corridor.  

Thank you for your feedback!

Thank you for taking the time to review the preferred alternative and submit your comments. The project team has used this feedback to help refine the Arctic Avenue Plan. We anticipate publishing the final plan in the second quarter of this year. Once the City of Folly Beach approves the plan, they will work to identify a funding source to complete the design and construction phase(s) of this project.