In 2018, Congress authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) to examine coastal storm risk on the Charleston Peninsula. After four years of careful study, the Army Corps determined there was significant national benefit to building protective infrastructure along the edge of the Peninsula to reduce future damages from tropical storms. The City's vision and design goals for such infrastructure is to be an extension of the existing Batteries that have protected the southern end of the Peninsula for centuries while serving as a public promenade and park for residents.
The final design and final path of the structure have NOT been finalized. The City is in the preliminary phase of refining the design and alignment of the structure to better enhance the public realm. Additionally, the City is working to integrate further flood-risk reduction benefits, tidal and routine stormwater management, through the complimentary Tidal and Inland Flood Risk Management Study that kicked off in 2024. Those components will be part of the project's next phase: Pre-Construction Engineering and Design (PED).
The USACE also recommended nonstructural enhancements, such as home elevation and building proofing to mitigate storm surge risk in the peninsula's Rosemont and Bridgeview communities where a structure is not practical. To accommodate those communities, the City is developing a specific Resilience Plan for Rosemont and Bridgeview with the Lowcountry alliance for Model Communities (LAMC), a regional environmental justice organization. The plan will align the USACE storm surge project with the communities other flood risks, such as rainfall, tidal flooding, and sea level rise.
For more information and answers to commonly asked questions regarding the project please find below a link to a FAQ.
Battery Extension FAQ
To view the full Feasibility Study, please visit the USACE project website below:
https://www.sac.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Charleston-Peninsula-CSRM-Project/