After beginning construction in August 2023, the Palmetto Commerce Interchange is projected to be open for public use in February 2026, according to Mackenzie Kelley, engineering manager for Charleston County.

The interchange will be placed between Ingleside Boulevard and Interstate 26 to alleviate traffic between Ashley Phosphate Road and U.S. 78, Kelley said. The ramp for the interchange will exit and enter into I-26 but is constructed to avoid any residential area on the opposite side of the interstate. 

“None of the traffic from the energy is going to dump into the neighborhood,” Kelley said. “We heard a lot of comments during the public hearing that they did not want traffic, so the only connection is the multi-use path.” 

The $90 million project came to life in 2013 and was fully funded by the 2016 half-cent sales tax, Kelley said. About $52 million of the total budget goes towards the construction. 

Currently, the project is in phase two of three phases, working a little bit ahead of schedule, Clark Banks, project manager for Banks Construction, said. Originally, the space was flat and forested, requiring about 350,000 yards of dirt to create elevation for the bridge in phase one. 

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The daily team constructing the interchange is about 30 people, working during the day primarily and during the night for any construction interrupting traffic considering the high volume of travelers on I-26, Banks said. 

Kelley said the interchange will also include a multi-use path and the retaining walls along I-26 display palmetto trees, the first of its kind in Charleston.  

Banks Construction serves as the general contractor for the interchange, Banks said. The project was designed by Davis & Floyd, and construction, engineering and inspection was through HDR.

“There has been great collaboration from all parties,” Kelley said. 

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