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JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Johns Island community members shared what they want to see with a potential sales tax extension.

Charleston County leaders are gathering ideas from residents on how dollars should be used from a potential extension of the half-cent Transportation Sales Tax.

The county’s sales tax approaches an expiry date in 2027. Council leaders are deciding how an estimated $4.2 billion will be used for future transportation, transit and green space improvements if the tax is extended.

The Johns Island community met leaders at Saint Johns High School Wednesday to share their input.

The meeting falls under a series of Charleston County opportunities.

Some residents raised concerns about how leaders will prioritize necessary projects county-wide with the limited amount of funds if the tax is extended.

County leaders say the future of the Mark Clark extension or Interstate 526 from West Ashley would not be considered in the upcoming referendum. Leaders say the county withdrew their hand from the project. This leaves the State Department of Transportation to bring it back to the table.

County leaders are partnering with municipal leaders and the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments to put together a model traffic and safety data, along with community input, to bring results to the county council. Feedback will be taken to the council for consideration in December and January.

Residents have until Dec. 1 to submit their thoughts on how the dollars should be spent on the county’s for phase one.

Residents also heard updates on the ongoing Main Road Segment A Project. The project focuses on improving congestion for drivers along Main Road and U.S. Highway 17. A more than $300 million construction contract was awarded to the project from the 2016 Transportation Sales Tax.

County Director of Public Works Eric Adams says community members have shared their concerns for traffic congestion, mobility and greenspace in meetings so far. Adams calls the Main Road project an example of uses for sales tax funds.

“Seventeen and Main is one of our premier projects, being that it is a congestion point and really needs to be addressed,” Adams says. “So it ties directly into what we’re going to talk about with potential improvements. So these types of improvements, if the community feels strongly about other intersections, we want to know about that as well.”

includes adding a roundabout at Main Road and Chisolm and River Roads. Drainage improvements, as well as pedestrian accommodations, are additional pieces of the plan.

County leaders say the project’s right-of-way acquisitions are 90% complete, along with a 95% completion for a temporary bridge access.

Johns Island resident Maria Owens once said “no” to extending the sales tax. She is now reconsidering her decision if the dollars will make Main Road traffic improvements that impact outside of her home.

“Traffic is just terrible out there,” Owens says. “You can’t even get out of your driveway, so we would like for them to improve this Main Road to alleviate some of this traffic coming from Old Pond Road.”

More information on the project and updates on the next quarterly Main Road project meeting are on the project’s website.

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