AASHTO Journal - SCDOT, Coastal Carolina Work to Boost Corridor Safety

The South Carolina Department of Transportation and Coastal Carolina University are moving forward on a joint effort to improve safety for motorists and pedestrians alike on the main roadway that serves the school’s campus: The SC-544 corridor.

[Above image via SCDOT]

SCDOT said those improvements will include reducing the roadway’s speed limit to 35 mph, installing a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk or HAWK pedestrian-activated signal, and enhancing the road’s pavement markings: changes the agency expects to complete by the end of 2026.

Additionally, SCDOT will continue to support the development of a planned pedestrian bridge over SC-544 near Founders Drive; a project already advanced by the school through feasibility and predesign work, as well as initial acquisition steps for the property required for the structure.

[Editor’s note: The SCDOT recently produced a video chronicling the emergency restoration of the Old Vaucluse Road bridge on I-20 in Aiken County in 36 hours following a tanker truck fire in 2025.]

Concurrently, the university’s board approved an intergovernmental agreement between Coastal Carolina and SCDOT that authorizes the agency to manage the pedestrian walkway project and related improvements, marking another significant milestone as the project moves toward design and construction.

Justin Powell, SCDOT secretary, noted in a statement that those actions are part of a continued partnership between SCDOT and Coastal Carolina University to address pedestrian safety along SC-544 and support the growing number of students, faculty, staff, and motorists who use the corridor each day.

“Safety is at the heart of everything we do at SCDOT, and we are committed to working with Coastal Carolina University to make SC-544 safer for everyone who uses it,” he said.

“We appreciate the university’s partnership and its continued commitment to finding solutions that will improve safety today, while also advancing longer-term improvements,” Powell added. “By working together, we can make meaningful progress for pedestrians and motorists along this important corridor.”

“We appreciate SCDOT’s partnership and commitment to improving safety for our students and the entire community,” added James Winebrake, the university’s president. “The immediate measures being implemented along SC-544, combined with our continued work on the pedestrian bridge, represent important steps toward creating safer connections between our campus and the surrounding community.”