"What started out as redoing the multi-purpose path turned into this huge project of drainage infrastructure and protection against the tides." Mayor Phillip Pounds said that to Live 5 News last December, before crews had touched the path. Eleven months later the city calls Phase 2 complete. It has scheduled a ribbon cutting for Thursday, Nov. 19, at 10 a.m. at Waterway Boulevard and Forest Trail.
At its northern end, though, the path still stops at a parking lot. The 700 feet that would carry it to the public dock at the Isle of Palms Marina are part of a separate contract. City Council approved that contract on Oct. 27, and its start date is being worked out around a restaurant's off-season.
A Sidewalk Rebuilt to a Seven-Foot Line
Hillary Aton, project manager with Thomas & Hutton in Mount Pleasant, told Island Vibes that the project raises the pathway to an elevation of 7 feet. Parts of the old path sat below 5 feet, and some were as low as 4.27 feet.
The city describes the rest of the work as a widened path, about eight feet across in most areas. Check valves were installed in the drainage system to keep tidal water from backing up through it. The Phase 2 bid tabulation specifies a hot-mix asphalt surface course. The contractor was still milling, paving and striping in early October. The city calls the result a dual-purpose asset. The path carries walkers and cyclists and also forms part of the island's flood-protection system.
Some of the work you can't see. Phase 1 built berms along the Harbor Course at Wild Dunes, and Island Vibes reports that holes 9 and 10, which run along the Intracoastal Waterway, were raised. The city says that work blends into the course and the grass around it.
What Each Phase Cost
The path cost a lot more than a sidewalk because most of the money went into the barrier. In a December 2025 memo, the city estimated the full project at $6,354,667. That figure includes $511,700 for engineering and design.
| Phase | Where | Status on Nov. 5 | Cost figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 and 1A | Berms on the Harbor Course at Wild Dunes | Completed fall 2025 | About $1.5 million, per Island Vibes |
| Phase 2 | Path between 21st and 41st avenues | Complete; ribbon cutting Nov. 19 | $2,890,156 contract to the Bastion Group |
| Phase 3 | Gaps near 3607–3615 Waterway Blvd and Fire Station No. 2 | Design options under review | Estimated $1.515 million plus $110,000 engineering |
Four sources pay for it, according to the same city memo. They are a $980,000 FEMA grant, a $1.25 million state budget allocation, $1.6 million in NPDES funds from the county's allocation, and $2,524,667 from the city's capital fund.
Phase 2 ran longer than the mayor had hoped. In December he told Live 5 the work would hopefully be done before the summer season. The city reported pathway construction underway on April 23, 2026. It later reported a delay of several weeks from AT&T utility conflicts and coordination with SCDOT. Crews also extended barricades at 32nd Avenue after groundwater got in the way of installing drainage structures. For most of the summer, people walking this corridor were stepping around construction.
The Walk From 21st Avenue to 41st Avenue
Phase 2 runs about 1.68 miles of Waterway Boulevard, from 21st Avenue to 41st Avenue. Heading north, the landmarks come in this order:
- 21st Avenue. The path begins near the 21st Avenue sidewalk, which the city finished earlier. Pounds told Live 5 the new path would be "a huge swath" once complete and would give people another way to get around the island when summer traffic stops.
- 27th to 29th avenues. The path passes the Recreation Center at 24 28th Ave., with its courts and fields. The city's October mayor's message says new tennis courts there have replaced the old ones.
- 32nd Avenue. This is where groundwater held up construction this summer.
- Forest Trail. The Nov. 19 ceremony will be held at this intersection.
- 41st Avenue. The path ends near the city marina. The marina has a double-wide public boat ramp, floating docks and the Marina Outpost store.
As Live 5 reported, the city planned the path for pedestrians and bicyclists only, with no golf carts.
Where the Path Stops Short of the Water
At 41st Avenue the path reaches the marina site but not the dock. That gap is the subject of the marina parking-lot contract. City Administrator Douglas Kerr's Oct. 12 memo to council recommended awarding the work to Whitestone Construction for $472,193. The contract adds a new bike path, 700 feet long and 6 feet wide, connecting the Waterway Boulevard path to the public dock.
Whitestone priced that bike path at $49,950. That is less than 2 percent of the Phase 2 contract, and it is the piece that connects the path to the waterfront. The same work moves the dumpster enclosure. A power pole also has to move, which Dominion Energy quoted at $5,313.
The Post and Courier's Moultrie News reported that council approved the work 9-0 on Oct. 27. The site is the parking lot outside Islander 71 Fish House & Bar. The timing depends on the restaurant. According to the paper, Islander 71 asked to move construction up from a January-to-late-February window to a December start that would run into the new year.
At the meeting, Kerr told council the city did not yet have the permits it needs. He described it as "a county permit that is being held by a state requirement," and said he had been told the approvals could arrive "any day now," the Post and Courier reported.
If you drive to the marina to start a walk, the city says free parking across the entire marina site is for Isle of Palms residents. Vehicles and boat trailers need a valid resident decal.
The Two Gaps Phase 3 Still Has to Close
The barrier also has two openings left. The first is near 3607–3615 Waterway Boulevard and the second is near Fire Station No. 2. The city is still weighing how to close them. It is considering either an elevated golf-cart path or a retaining wall behind the five homes in that stretch.
On Sept. 1, the Public Services & Facilities Committee discussed a $63,550 feasibility and planning scope to prepare options for both locations. The committee said it would meet with the five property owners. The discussion also included raising part of the road and the need for easements and coordination with Wild Dunes. The city says it will share more as engineering and design work moves forward.
So the corridor still has two unfinished pieces. Phase 3 is the barrier work, and it has no design chosen yet. The marina connector is the part walkers and cyclists will use, and it has a contractor and a council vote but is waiting on a permit.
Three Dates This Month on the Path's Route
The city's November community town hall is this evening, Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. It meets in the Magnolia Room at the Recreation Center. You can attend, watch the livestream or send in questions, including when the marina connector will start.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 to 11 a.m., the city hosts free Coffee & Canines at the Bark Park behind the Recreation Center.
The ribbon cutting is Thursday, Nov. 19, at 10 a.m. at Waterway Boulevard and Forest Trail. The city has invited residents and project partners to come learn about the work.
Projects like Waterway Boulevard change how a part of the island works day to day, and that is a big part of what we watch on Isle of Palms. If you would like to talk about what the marsh side of the island looks like as these projects are finished, Robertson Allen and The Cassina Group would be glad to hear from you. Schedule a private market consultation.
