Charleston County scheduled the signal at Main, River and Chisolm roads to be replaced by a roundabout at 6 a.m. on Monday, October 19. River Road was closed the weekend before for stormwater pipe and paving work, and Limehouse Bridge traffic was sent around by Old Pond Road. The intersection that the Tidelines community blog described as signalized during that closure now runs without a traffic light.
If Main Road is part of your daily routine, it is easy to treat the new circle as the payoff. The project's own schedule says otherwise. The roundabout is at the quiet end of a 2.4-mile corridor. The work at the other end, where Main Road meets U.S. 17, is only now getting to the point where drivers will feel it. The island's busiest connection is going to be rearranged, and the circle is the first piece of that work most people will drive through.
A Corridor With Two Ends
The county's October 15 release describes the U.S. 17 and Main Road Improvements Project as running from Bees Ferry Road to River and Chisolm roads. Its stated goals are less congestion at U.S. 17 and Main Road, more roadway capacity, a safe bike and pedestrian crossing of the Stono River, and better stormwater drainage along the corridor. County Council Chairman Joe Boykin called the roundabout "another piece of this project," adding, "There's more work ahead."
The scale of the work ahead shows up in the contract. The August 2026 Segment A newsletter lists a design-build contract with the Archer-United-Banks Joint Venture worth $354,312,450, a 1,458-day duration, and an anticipated completion date of September 27, 2028. In April, Live 5 News reported that this is the largest and most expensive road project in Charleston County's history. When the roundabout opened, nearly two years remained on the contract clock. The money goes to flyover off-ramps from U.S. 17, a spur bridge carrying Main Road over U.S. 17, widening, and the bike and pedestrian connections.
The roundabout came first because it is the self-contained part. The interchange at the north end has to be built while the island's main route on and off keeps carrying traffic, so it moves in stages.
The Fourth-Quarter List
The August newsletter set four upcoming milestones. Two of them have already reached drivers or will soon.
| Milestone in the August 2026 newsletter | Target | Where it stands for a late-October reader |
|---|---|---|
| Roundabout at Main/River/Chisolm | Q4 2026 | County scheduled the opening for October 19 |
| Ramp 3 connection to northbound U.S. 17 | Q4 2026 | Still targeted for year end, per a September community update |
| Interchange drilled-shaft and concrete-pile foundations | Q4 2026 | Pile driving for the ramps was about 95% complete in August |
| U.S. 17 overpass spur bridge on Main Road | "Will begin soon" | Construction start not yet dated |
Ramp 3 is the item that matters most on Main Road this winter. Citing the Johns Island Advocate, Tidelines reported in September that the county was still on track to open both the roundabout and Ramp 3 by the end of the year. It also noted that one reason for opening Ramp 3 is to make room for building the Main Road and U.S. 17 flyover bridge. In other words, Ramp 3 is there so the next phase of construction can happen.
The Reroute Without a Date
The next change for drivers has a description but no date. Under the preliminary concept Tidelines described, flyover construction would move access to Main Road away from the current U.S. 17 intersection. Ramp 3 would temporarily carry two-way traffic between Charleston and Johns Island, and a temporary road would handle trips between Hollywood or Ravenel and the island. Eventually every ramp will carry one-way traffic only.
The same update says "there are still a lot of details and SCDOT approvals that need to be worked out," and that "no definitive date has been given for the rerouting." As of this week, the county's roundabout announcement is the latest dated traffic change. The reroute is the next one, and its start date is still open.
The engineers are describing a bigger change than a single circle. Herbert Nimz, engineering manager for Charleston County Public Works, told Live 5 News in April what the finished interchange is meant to do.
"It will provide free-flow access on and off Johns Island. That's a drastic change from what we currently have."
That same report said the finished interchange will have four ramps, two leaving Johns Island and two entering. Free-flow access is the end state. Getting there takes a temporary layout that has not been scheduled yet.
The Bridge That Stays
The reroute concept involves the U.S. 17 end. The Limehouse Bridge, at the end closest to the new roundabout, is a separate case, and one that tends to be misunderstood. The April Live 5 story mentioned "two new bridges." According to the project website, those are the new Main Road spur bridge over U.S. 17 and a replacement of the CSX bridge. The Stono River crossing stays on the existing Limehouse Bridge, which will be restriped for two lanes in each direction and given a shared-use path.
That path is planned at nearly three miles long and 12 feet wide, with connections toward Bees Ferry Road, Glenn McConnell Parkway and the West Ashley Greenway. As of August, the design for the Limehouse Bridge section was still underway. For anyone who has wanted to bike or walk off the island toward West Ashley, this is the part of the project that would make it possible. On the current schedule it is still in design.
The other small item in the newsletter is local too. Right-of-way plans are finished for a left-turn lane at Old Pond Road, the road the county used as the detour while River Road was closed for the roundabout work.
Late Fall Errands Around the Circle
For now, the circle is the newest part of drives islanders already make. Joseph Fields Farm, listed by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture as a roadside market at 3129 River Road, is on one of the roads that feeds the new junction. Stono Market & Tomato Shed Café, at 842 Main Road, is listed by the same department as a restaurant with roadside-market offerings.
The next big date on the island's calendar is a weekend event. Charleston County Parks holds its Harvest Festival on Saturday, November 7, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Johns Island County Park, 2662 Mullet Hall Road. The stage schedule:
- YeeHaw Junction at 11:30 a.m.
- Southern Flavor Bluegrass Band at 1:15 p.m.
- Willie Wells & The Blue Ridge Mountain Grass at 3 p.m.
Admission is $10 per person for ages 13 and up. Children 12 and under and Gold Pass members get in free. Gates open at 11 a.m. Chairs and blankets are welcome and leashed pets are allowed, but outside food, alcohol and coolers are not. Along with the music there is pumpkin decorating, hayrides, Carolina barbecue and a crafters market for early holiday shopping. On other weekends the park itself offers equestrian trails, walking trails, archery, disc golf and a dog park.
Where the Money Question Fits
The 2016 Transportation Sales Tax pays for the Main Road project. According to the county's transportation program site, voters will decide a proposed extension of that tax on November 3, 2026, five days after this post appears. The county's site has the details of what the extension would include.
The project team also holds quarterly construction update meetings. The August newsletter listed one for August 25. The Main Road corridor site carries the project's updates. For the roundabout, the county put out a release on October 15, put message boards on the road, and closed River Road starting at 7 p.m. the next evening.
Construction schedules and access shape how a home on Johns Island lives from one season to the next, and following the Main Road corridor phase by phase is part of the local knowledge Amy Bolan brings to every conversation about the island. If you'd like to know how this project fits into your own plans, start with a Free Charleston Home Valuation and an unhurried conversation about what's changing near you.
