Charleston recently received $10 million from the HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Mitigation Program to construct the Medical District Drainage Tunnel Extension at Ehrhardt St.
This drainage tunnel extension will provide critical flooding relief to the city’s medical district.
Once constructed, the tunnel will run beneath Ehrhardt Street on MUSC’s campus + connect to President and Cannon streets, where it will tie into the city’s existing Spring/Fishburne drainage improvement project.
Why it’s important
The city’s medical district, which is home to three major medical centers — the state’s premier medical university, the region’s only Children’s Hospital + the Veterans Administration — is one of the areas in the city heavily impacted by flooding during severe weather events.
During these flooding events — which continue to increase in frequency + severity — substantial flooding can cut off hospital access, preventing staff, emergency vehicles, and patients in need of medical attention from reaching the hospitals.
What you need to know
- Charleston has experienced major storm events for the past five years, each of which has caused flooding that has delayed access to medical care.
- In 2019, the medical district experienced a record high number of 89 flood events, resulting in ~$23 million of flood-related costs.
- It’s estimated that annually the medical district employs 25,000 people, treats 400,000 patients + serves 75,000 veterans, with ~25% of the service population being low-to-moderate income.
The Ehrhardt Street tunnel extension is a critical improvement that will provide flood mitigation to the medical district + serve to protect both the quality and availability of medical services provided to the public.
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