It factors in existing residential and commercial structures as well as structures planned and committed, but not yet built. Accounting for these existing and committed structures and the historical volume patterns, these 2015 projections are astounding, placing some roads at more than 350 percent of their design load capacity. Traffic Collisions Traffic collision data was obtained from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, Office of Highway Safety. The data presented here is from 1999 and consists of all accidents reported to law enforcement officials. The State Department of Transportation and the Charleston County Planning Office assisted in converting the accident information from the state secondary and county road numbers to road names.
Traffic congestion impacts the region in a number of areas.
For businesses, congestion often means valuable business time lost in standstill traffic. Traffic congestion delivers a double blow to the Charleston area economy in that the port thrives on efficiency-the ability to quickly clear and transport goods in and out of the terminals. Thus there are considerable economic ramifications to systemic traffic congestion. Overloaded roads also have social impacts, causing commuter frustration and, in extreme cases, emotional disturbances such as road rage. Furthermore, the interstate, highway, or road itself prematurely wears, placing further strain on limited road improvement and construction funds.