For almost a decade, Coleman Boulevard has been the road even die-hard cyclists refused to love. Too many cars, too little space, and that white-knuckle stretch through Shem Creek that made biking feel like a dare instead of a daily habit.
That changes this month.
Mount Pleasant just finished rolling out a new set of bright-green, five-foot-wide bike lanes along Coleman — a long-awaited fix that ties one of the town’s busiest corridors into something far more welcoming for people on two wheels.
Katie Zimmerman of Charleston Moves didn’t mince words about the old setup. “For me, Coleman Boulevard has traditionally been terrifying,” she told the Post & Courier. When your bicycle is your primary mode of transportation, “terrifying” isn’t a vibe you want from your commute.
The new lanes shift the narrative. “Having these bike lanes striped, it's a game changer,” Zimmerman said, again via the Post & Courier.
A stretch that finally makes sense
Coleman’s new bike lanes run from Pelzer Drive to Mill Street, forming an uninterrupted 1.5-mile route that now links Houston Northcutt Boulevard to Pherigo Street near Ben Sawyer. For local riders, that’s not just a convenience — it’s a connective breakthrough.
If you know Shem Creek, you know the vibe: a waterfront mix of restaurants, shrimp boats, kayakers, and the bronze statue of Wayne Magwood keeping watch. It’s gorgeous, sure. But it was never built for anything slower or more fragile than a Ford F-150.
The improvements change that, threading safer cycling access into one of Mount Pleasant’s most iconic spots.
Nearly a decade in the making
The project traces back to 2016, when the town won a grant from the S.C. Department of Transportation, according to the Post & Courier. Permitting and design delays pushed everything into slow-motion, and only in April did construction finally begin. By October, the $1.2 million job was done — with a Nov. 7 ribbon-cutting on deck.
James Aton, Mount Pleasant’s deputy director for transportation, framed the moment as part of a bigger push. “This is a huge safety improvement that fills a critical gap in the previous bicycle network,” he told the Post & Courier. And the town isn’t stopping here. Segments of Mount Pleasant Way — the town’s ambitious multi-use path project — continue inching forward.
Last year’s $10 million overhaul at Coleman and Patriots Point Boulevard marked one milestone. This year's Coleman lanes mark another. Piece by piece, the map is starting to look more connected and less car-dominated.
Aton also highlighted how the new stretch plugs neatly into Charleston Moves’ Battery2Beach plan, which aims to connect six Charleston County municipalities with continuous sidewalks and bike paths. “I’m very excited it's coming to a close here and look forward to seeing it and riding on it myself,” he said to the Post & Courier.
A win for riders — and for what Mount Pleasant wants to become
This isn’t just bright paint or a checkmark on a grant. It’s a shift in how Mount Pleasant imagines movement — safer, cleaner, more human-scaled.
And for anyone who’s ever tried to pedal Coleman with cars buzzing past inches from your handlebars, it’s about time.
This is a summary of an article published in the Post & Courier. Click here if you’d like to read that article.
