North Charleston Residents to "Hold the Port to Its Promises"

(PRWEB) May 13, 2004

Residents of Olde North Charleston and other Park Circle area neighborhoods have begun a petition drive, letter writing campaign, and Web site all focused on holding the State to its promises to build bridges and overpasses to handle the traffic from the proposed port at the former Charleston Naval Base.

As the planned port stands now, all the train and semi-truck traffic will come thundering through the streets of nearby neighborhoods. The port plans to transport 2,500 containers a day.

In 2002, the State and City of North Charleston signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which promised the State will build and pay for a new bypass to route trucks directly from the port onto I-26, as well as three new rail overpasses.

"Hold the Port to Its Promises" is a committee of the Olde North Charleston Neighborhood Council (ONCNC), and is a growing coalition of Park Circle area residents, merchants, and other concerned citizens and organizations. The group is working to ensure that the promised infrastructure be included in the South Carolina Ports Authority's proposal currently before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and that all of the commitments the State made to the City of North Charleston be honored.

"Old North Charleston/Park Circle is a beautiful neighborhood experiencing unprecedented revitalization," says ONCNC President John Pharis. "We can't afford for state officials to ruin what so many of us have invested so much into."

To sign the petition to "Hold the Port to Its Promises," view the MOU, or for more information go to http://www.oncnc.org.