CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Charleston County Council voted on Tuesday to reopen contract negotiations about completing the I-526 extension project with the State Infrastructure Bank Board.
County Council voted 6-2 to continue negotiations.
āWeāve had difficulty with SIB because we couldnāt find an adult in the room to tell which of us needed to do what so that we could get some resolution,ā Charleston County Council Chairman Victor Rawl said. āThe governor took that position, and Iām very, very thankful that he did.ā
Council members who voted no on the countyās involvement in the project said during Tuesday nightās meeting that they were concerned with how the county would find the funding needed to complete the road.
The vote comes four months after the SIB voted to kill the project.
Rawl said that money will come from taxpayer dollars.
āTaxpayers are going to pay. Itās just a matter of which pocket theyāre going to pay out of,ā Rawl said. āItās going to be the federal pocket, the state pocket, the county pocket, the city pocket, or your pocket, if itās a toll.ā
The council members in favor of funding the project said Tuesdayās decision means a brighter future for people in the Charleston area especially Johns Island where the extension would happen.
āWe find the money for a lot of other projects, we can find the money for this,ā Charleston County Council Member Anna Johnson said. āThey need a road.ā
Now the county has 45 days to come up with an agreement with the county, the bank board chairman and the Department of Transportation.
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