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Charleston flooding fix project $31M over budget, city says


Crosstown Flooding Drone Video (David Keller, Charleston Video Service)
Crosstown Flooding Drone Video (David Keller, Charleston Video Service)
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The City of Charleston is $31 million short of the funding it needs for a drainage improvement and flooding mitigation project downtown, city leaders said Tuesday,

At least one city councilman says he was blindsided when a contractor told city leaders they'd need tens of millions more dollars to finish the next phase of the Spring-Fishburne Drainage Project.

The original cost of the project was $154 million, but now engineers say it'll eventually cost $197 million.

"What the problem was, in my personal opinion, was we were watching dollars and weren't watching quarters. And quarters overwhelmed us,” said Marvin Wagner, a city councilman. "We're not out of money yet. And hopefully we can find additional funding sources, or reduce the scope of the work."

Mayor John Tecklenburg says cost increases aren't unusual for a project over the course of 10-years, but he believes a 2009 budget estimate for the drainage work wasn't planned correctly.

Tecklenburg feels better communication is needed between engineers and the city's public services department in the future. Still, he vows to find funding sources to make the Spring-Fishburne Street Project happen in the present.

"We're going to complete this project because we have many more that we need to address throughout the city," Mayor Tecklenburg said

Mayor Tecklenburg says there's enough money to complete Phase 4 of the drainage project, but city leaders need to figure out which sources they'll tap to get it. Funding for Phase 5—the final link— is up in the air.

City leaders say stormwater funds and TIF (tax increment funding) monies could be used to cover the shortage, but that means a delay in fixing the flood issue.

"Another couple of years, if we get the end result, I guess it'll be worth it," Wagner said.

There’s some good news. Engineers say Phase 3 of the Spring-Fishburne Drainage Project is 70 percent complete, and it’s on budget.

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