"Not only could you not walk on it. You couldn't ride a bike on it either; it was really rough, and now it's beautiful," resident Bruce Lindsey told Live 5 News this summer, describing the old sidewalk along Waterway Boulevard. Another resident, Chris Nichols, told the station that roots had cracked the asphalt so badly that people were tripping and runners were falling.
That stretch is finished now. The ocean side of the island, meanwhile, is getting a last round of dredge pipe, sand ramps and overnight work lights. From this week to mid-December, the island's newest walking surface is the one along the marsh, and the beach is the side still under construction.
Twenty Avenues, Rebuilt From the 21st Avenue End
The Waterway Boulevard project runs from 21st Avenue to 41st Avenue. That's about 1.7 miles of path, and the engineering study behind it, by Thomas & Hutton, proposed widening it from 5 feet to 8 feet. The City says the finished Phase 2 path is about 8 feet wide in most areas and raised in sections.
Anyone who walked it this year saw it go up in pieces. The City's project updates followed the work from one end to the other:
- April 23, 2026: The contractor started demolishing the old sidewalk at 21st and Waterway, with compacted gravel keeping the route open until paving.
- July 14: Paving was complete from 21st to 29th Avenue. The old path had been torn out from 29th to Timber Lane, and the original surface still ran from Timber Lane to 41st.
- August 3: The Bastion Group hit groundwater while installing a drainage structure, which extended the 32nd Avenue closure.
- August 26: Utility relocations were done after several weeks of delays from conflicts with AT&T lines.
- October 12: The City announced Phase 2 complete and scheduled a ribbon-cutting.
Council member Scott Pierce told Live 5 the work had been going on for roughly ten years. It started as a basic sidewalk repair and grew into a multi-phase flood mitigation project, and the original budget of just over $1.1 million grew to approximately $7 million as of the station's July 2026 report. Most of that growth came from the path's second job.
The Path Is Also Part of the Wall
The City calls Phase 2 a "dual-purpose community asset." The raised path is a route for walkers and cyclists, and it is also part of the barrier meant to keep tidal water from the Intracoastal Waterway out of the neighborhoods behind it. The project traces back to a nor'easter in December 2023. After it, the City began looking at the marsh side of the island near Waterway Boulevard.
Most of the system is easy to miss on a morning walk. Phase 1 built new berms along the Harbor Golf Course, which the City describes as "largely invisible, blending seamlessly into the surrounding golf course and grassy areas." Phase 2 added check valves that keep tidal water from backing up through the drainage system. So the raised sections of the path are the visible part of a barrier the City describes as golf cart paths, berms and sidewalks working together.
Using the path the way it was intended is also a recorded question. In July committee discussion, residents raised concerns about whether the path was wide enough to work as a multi-use path, and "No Motorized Vehicles" signs came up. Staff said the path's intended use was not changing.
Where It Ends Is the Point
Walk the path north and you finish at the marina. The City's public dock at 50 41st Avenue is free and open daily from sunrise to sunset. People use it to launch kayaks and paddleboards, fish and look at the water, and motorized boats can't moor there.
Since spring the dock has also become a place to read about what you're looking at. Live 5 reported that the City, its Environmental Advisory Committee and community volunteers installed 14 eco-education signs on the salt marsh, local birds and marine life, including dolphins, periwinkle snails and sea turtles. The signs and graphic design cost $20,000, paid for with city and community money. Committee member Susan Hill Smith wrote the descriptions, and many of the photos came from community members. Smith told the station the marsh matters partly "because it helps protect places like the island here by limiting flooding." The path you just walked was built to do the same job.
Kaitlyn Hackathorn, the graphic designer and photographer who worked on the project, explained to Live 5 why the location mattered:
"This project is also really special because it's here at a marina which isn't always the most accessible environment for anyone to come park at much less walk around and enjoy."
Getting there on foot is now the easy part. The rest of the marina gives the walk a reason to keep going:
- Islander 71 is a seafood and raw bar restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway with weekly live music and reservations. Check its site for current hours before you go.
- The Marina Outpost carries necessities and food, according to the City's marina page, and the marina's own site lists a deli among its services.
- Isle of Palms Marina rentals include boats by the half or full day, plus single and tandem kayaks and paddleboards in two- and four-hour blocks.
- Barrier Island Eco Tours runs its Capers Island Wildlife Exploration year-round from the marina, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The marina has its own work coming. As of the September 22 Council packet, the parking lot project was out to bid and dredging was still in permitting.
Meanwhile, the Beach Heads South
The 2026 offshore renourishment is placing up to 2.5 million cubic yards of sand along 19,200 linear feet of beach. The work has moved north to south, and the last stretch is scheduled to start November 1.
| Reach | Stretch of beach | Status per the City's October updates |
|---|---|---|
| Reach 1 | Mariner's Walk to Dewees Inlet | Finished in 35 days, about 900,000 cubic yards placed |
| Reach 2 | Wild Dunes Property Owners Beach House to 56th Avenue | Expected to finish around the week of October 23; dune planting planned to start October 26 |
| Reach 3 | Isle of Palms Pier to Breach Inlet | Pumping tentatively begins November 1 for about 45 days |
The City's notes on Reach 1 and 2 still apply. Earth Balance planned about six days of dune planting, with sand fencing to follow once materials arrive.
The beach isn't closed. The City says crews work in sections of about 300 yards, walkers can usually go around the fenced zones, and sand ramps cross the dredge pipeline down to the water. Heavy equipment runs around the clock, with lights at night and backup alarms, and the work moves 100 to 300 feet a day, so the disturbance in front of any one spot should pass in a night or two. Every date on the schedule is labeled tentative. This month Marinex had to replace 2,000 feet of damaged pipeline before pumping could resume on October 14. The City's live construction map is the best way to see where the crews are on a given morning. The south-end stretch from the pier to Breach Inlet will see the most of it, with demobilization scheduled for December 15.
The Calendar From Halloween to Demobilization
The fall dates line up between the two projects:
- Saturday, October 31, 4 to 6 p.m.: The Recreation Department's Halloween Golf Cart Parade and Carnival, with a drive-through haunted house. Parade lineup starts at 3:30 p.m. on 27th Avenue, and the Rec Department is at 24 28th Avenue.
- Sunday, November 1: Reach 3 pumping is scheduled to begin at the south end.
- Thursday, November 5, 5 to 7 p.m.: A resident town hall in the Recreation Center's Magnolia Room, with a livestream and remote comment options.
- Thursday, November 19, 10 a.m.: The Waterway Boulevard Phase 2 ribbon-cutting at Waterway Boulevard and Forest Trail.
- Saturday, December 5, 2 to 7 p.m.: The Holiday Street Festival on Front Beach, with vendors, children's activities and Santa, plus a tree lighting at 5:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, December 15: Scheduled demobilization of the beach project.
The Two Gaps Still on the Map
The path is finished, but the barrier isn't. Phase 3, which the City calls the third and final phase, covers two remaining gaps, one near 3607 to 3615 Waterway Boulevard and one near Fire Station No. 2. The City is weighing two options: a raised section of golf cart path, or a retaining wall behind the five remaining homes. It says it will share more as engineering and design move forward. If you walk past Fire Station No. 2 this fall, you're walking past the next decision.
I spend a lot of time on the marsh side of this island, and the best way to understand what this project means for a particular street is still to walk it with someone who has followed every phase. If you're thinking about Waterway Boulevard, the marina end, or anywhere else on Isle of Palms, Crossman & Co would be glad to walk it with you. Schedule your free consultation.
