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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