Central Park Road set to open Friday as Festival of Lights begins at James Island County Park

Central Park Road will open to vehicular traffic at 5 p.m., Friday, November 14, in conjunction with the start of the annual Festival of Lights holiday tradition at the James Island County Park.

The road will remain open each evening and on weekends for the duration of the festival to accommodate increased traffic. Periodic daytime road closures may occur during this time but are not expected to affect festival travel.

The project, which kicked off in June, is progressing ahead of schedule and remains within the approved budget.

Construction is expected to be completed in February 2026.

About the project:

The Central Park Road Drainage Improvements Project includes a series of roadway and drainage improvements on Central Park Road between Riverland Drive and Fleming Road that will bring significant flooding relief to the surrounding area, which is heavily impacted by spring and king tide events.

It involves raising Central Park Road up to two feet throughout the project corridor and installing three upsized drainage pipes measuring 48 inches in diameter. The new pipes are outfitted with two tide gates and one tidal check valve, which block incoming tides exceeding normal high tide elevations.

Together, these measures will prevent future roadway flooding caused by the nearby James Island Creek, provide greater flow capacity, allow continual saltwater exchange through the crossing, and increase stormwater storage upstream.

Project funding comes from a combination of federal grant funds, state gas tax funds administered by the Charleston Transportation Committee, and county stormwater funds.