CHARLESTON, S.C. -- On March 3, 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District and the city of Charleston signed a Section 219 Agreement for the upfit of a stormwater pump station near the intersection of Bravo and Ralph H. Johnson Streets responsible for draining over 11 acres, including the primary Medical District access roads of Courtenay Drive, Bee Street, and Doughty Street.
The goal of the project is to reduce the risk flood damages to buildings and infrastructure in the Medical District. The upfit will be a complete rehabilitation of the electrical and mechanical components of the pump station to maintain function and improve resiliency, as well as additional upfit work to account for intensifying storms and sea level rise. The existing pump station is reaching the end of its design life.
The Charleston Medical District is located within the Spring Street/Fishburne Street and MUSC drainage basin and includes the MUSC, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, and Roper Hospital. This area experiences severe and frequent flood events that have been documented, which cause the Medical District significant damage and limits access for emergency vehicles, residents, and employees. In 2019, the Medical District documented over $23 million in flood-related damages.
The total project cost for the pump station upfit is estimated at $4M. Project funds are appropriated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2022 to initiate the implementation of stormwater control measures and storm sewer improvements at the Spring Street/Fishburne Street drainage project. The cost share ratio of this project is 75% federal/ 25% non-federal.
“We have been working with the city of Charleston to explore effective, feasible solutions to reduce risk and promote coastal resiliency on the peninsula and this in one piece of that puzzle,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Johannes, district commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District. “This is one of many projects we are working on with our great partners at the city to integrate local efforts in addressing flooding throughout the peninsula, including tidal, rainfall, and storm surge flooding.”
“Access to the Medical District is critical for the patients requiring care and the medical community employed in Charleston,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. “This project, and others like it, will help ensure that our citizens and military veterans can access these life-saving facilities, even during a storm event.”
The signing of the agreement allows the Corps of Engineers and the city of Charleston to initiate preconstruction, engineering and design and award a contract to complete construction, which is anticipated in 2025.
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Contact:
Nathan Wilkes, 843-990-8812
Nathan.a.wilkes@usace.army.mil