This month, we focus on major infrastructure, manufacturing and medical news for the Charleston area. To learn more about any of the topics covered, please follow the links where you see bold blue font.
The environmental review period for Charleston County’s Airport Connector Road project to construct a new access road to Charleston International Airport has concluded, with the Federal Highway Administration determining that it will have no significant impact. The project, which is intended to “improve traffic flow, support economic growth and provide a safer, more efficient connection to and from the airport”, now enters the right-of-way acquisition and final design planning phases. The two-year construction period is scheduled to start in late 2026.
MUSC plans to build a state-of-the-art, comprehensive cancer-care and research hospital next to Rutledge Tower in downtown Charleston. It has become a recent priority since a significant increase in SC cancer cases is anticipated with its aging population and in-migration as well as improved screenings in rural and underserved areas of the state. The Board of Trustees recently approved the project and a feasibility study is currently underway. It is projected to open by 2030.
SC Ports’ busiest container terminal - Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant - has just undergone a $23M infrastructure upgrade, with a new steel toe wall along its wharf and dredging that allow the terminal to now accommodate more mega cargo ships at any tide, which in turn enhances operational efficiencies for both the port and its customers.
A topping out ceremony was recently held for defense manufacturer Leonardo DRS’ new $120-million, 140,000-SF facility under construction in Goose Creek, to celebrate the completion of its structural framework. The facility, once fully-completed in 2026, will support the company’s delivery of defense technology to the U.S. Navy and its submarine fleet, including the manufacturing of large components for advanced naval electric propulsion systems for such vessels as the new Columbia-Class ballistic missile submarine.
SHL Medical, a Swiss-based manufacturer of self-injection solutions, is now producing autoinjectors in its new North Charleston facility to treat conditions such as autoimmune disorders, obesity and rare diseases. The 360,000-SF facility, with its cutting-edge technology and fully-automated assembly systems to ensure “high precision, efficiency, and quality in drug delivery solutions”, cost $220 million to build and now employs over 300 people.
