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BCD Council of GovernmentsAugust 2012
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The BCDCOG in brief
Welcome to the BCD Council of Governments digital newsletter. This newsletter is published once a month to bring you highlights of projects and activities being undertaken at the agency. Should you have any questions or would like to request additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 

Town of Harlyeville Main Street Water Line Project Underway
   

Construction recently started on the Town of Harleyville's Main Street water line upgrades. The project is part of the Town's efforts to replace its water lines constructed with concrete to resolve the ongoing problem of water line breaks where the concrete pipes have become unstable since their construction. The Town completed part of the overall efforts with funding awarded as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. However, the amount of funding received was inadequate for the task.

 

In consultation with the BCD Council of Government staff and its consulting engineer, the Town of Harleyville developed and submitted an application for CDBG funds. The funds were awarded in 2011 and remaining construction has now begun. It is anticipated that construction will be completed by the end of this year.  

 
 
 
Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission Seeks Input

 

 

The  Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission (CCPRC) is developing a new master plan for Charleston County's diverse system of park facilities, programs and services. The BCDCOG is providing data and technical assistance to this effort, including information on existing and proposed regional trail and transportation projects. 

 

To assist in developing the master plan, CCPRC is requesting that the  community participate in an online survey to help prioritize CCPRC activities, events, facilities, and programs.  The survey is available through September 17th.  BCDCOG encourages you to go online and complete the survey.

 

For more information on upcoming meetings and the plan for future park development plan, please visit the CCPRC website

 

 

BCDCOG Assists with the 2012 PGA Championship Event

 

The BCDCOG's Smart Ride Program assisted the 2012 PGA Championship event at the Ocean Club, Kiawah Island by providing a carpooling ridership site at Tridentrideshare.com. The BCDCOG staff also assisted with the event by responding to phone calls and emails  from out of town visitors requesting transportation information related to airport taxi service, travel time to the region, bus service and routes to the event. For information on how your company can benefit from carpooling and coordinating transportation services, please contact the BCDCOG Mobility Manager Vonie Gilreath at [email protected] 

2040 South Carolina Multimodal Transportation Plan Kickoff

In July, the BCDCOG participated in the kick off meeting of the 2040 South Carolina Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan hosted by SCDOT.   Key elements of the performance-based statewide multimodal plan include defining a vision for future transportation decisions in South Carolina, assessing system deficiencies, estimating future revenues, formulating performance targets for maintenance and mobility, identifying intermodal and multimodal transportation needs, incorporating highway safety considerations, and environmental stewardship.

 

The plan will have a strong focus on enhancing freight mobility across all modes to promote South Carolina's economic competitiveness in a global market place. The plan will address the federal planning requirements included in the surface transportation reauthorization act, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).

 

Stakeholders at the Multimodal Plan kick off participated in three interactive breakout sessions that focused on freight (rail, ports, airports, highways, and intermodal facilities), interstate and state strategic corridors (highways), as well as public transit and transportation alternatives. The anticipated time required to complete the project is approximately 18 months.

 

For more information about the South Carolina Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan project, please call SCDOT's Mark Pleasant at (803) 737-1437.   

 
 

New Federal Transportaoin Bill: MAP-21

On July 6, 2012, President Obama signed into law P.L. 112-141, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) transportation bill which replaces the previous SAFETEA-LU bill.   Funding surface transportation programs at over $105 billion for fiscal years 2013 and 2014, MAP-21 is the first long-term highway authorization enacted since 2005. MAP-21 will provide needed transportation funds by consolidating the number of federal programs by two-thirds from nearly 90 programs to less than 30.

 

MAP-21 also creates a performance-based multimodal program to improve safety, maintain infrastructure condition, reduce traffic congestion, improve efficiency of the system and freight movement, protect the environment, and reduce delays in project delivery. The effective date for most highway provisions in MAP-21, both funding and changes to policy, is October 1, 2012. For more information on MAP-21, go to the Federal Highway Administration site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/MAP21/ and the Federal Transit Administration site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/map21/.

 

 
 
In This Issue
Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission Seeks Input
BCDCOG Assists with the 2012 PGA Championship
2040 South Carolina Multimodal Transportation Plan Kickoff
Quick Links
 
Facebook

 AASHTO Bike Guide Webinar

 

Hosted by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center and Toole Design Group

 

August-October 2012 (Seven Parts)

 

Register

 

Planner, engineers, policy makers and advocates can register for this free seven part webinar series to obtain information on the recent updates to the American Association of State Highway Transportation Official's (AASHTO) Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities. The guide was updated in June for the first time in 13 years and serves as a key resource for creating and designing bicycle facilities in the U.S. The series will provide an overview of the elements of on-road bicycle facility design, and will include sessions that focus on bike lanes, shared use paths, shared lanes (unmarked and marked), paved shoulders and bicycle boulevards.

 

Child Pedestrian Safety Education Webinar

 

Hosted by the SC Safe Routes to School Resource Center

 

September 12th

3pm-4pm

 

Register

 

Parents, teachers and safety advocates can register for a free webinar to learn about the new pedestrian safety elementary curriculum. The program meets many South Carolina performance standards for Physical Education and Health Education and provides an active and engaging environment for students to learn about pedestrian safety. The importance of child pedestrian safety will be addressed and include key messages such as the importance of safely walking near traffic, crossing streets and parking lots and bus safety.  The goals of the curriculum is to provide resources and information on cross-curricula, hands-on activities to develop automatic, life-long safe pedestrian behavior.

 

BCDCOG Revolving Loan Can Assist Your Business

 

We currently have funds to loan. The RLF's primary goal is job creation and retention. It is designed to assist businesses whose projects will improve the tri-county economy. Eligible uses for loans include the purchase of equipment and land, and the improvement of real estate and building facilities. Contact us today for more information.