Since Monday, Oct. 5, barriers have closed the boardwalk along River Landing Drive between Fairchild Drive and Seven Farms Drive. The Daniel Island Property Owners' Association notice calls it one of the island's heavily used walking routes, a path that "sees a lot of foot traffic, bikes, strollers, and dog walks every day." The repairs are expected to take about six weeks, depending on the weather.
Waterfront Park, at the end of the road, is still open, and every remaining date on its October calendar falls inside the closure window. Another project is waiting at the Seven Farms Drive end of the corridor. For the rest of 2026, getting to the Wando River on foot will take more planning than it usually does.
Six Weeks, Counted From Oct. 5
The boardwalk work is a Daniel Island Town Association project paid for by the Daniel Island Community Fund. The notice says years of heavy use and coastal weather wore the boardwalk down, and the goal is to put it "back in excellent condition."
The notice doesn't give a reopening date. Six weeks from Oct. 5 lands around Nov. 16, and the association says the timeline "depends on the weather" and that it will post an update if anything changes. Until then, the request is simple: stay behind the posted barriers. The notice says active construction zones "can hide hazards that aren't obvious from the path."
As of today, Oct. 12, the closure is one week old, and the rest of October's waterfront calendar falls inside it.
The Park's October Lands Inside the Closure
Waterfront Park sits at 1 River Landing Drive, at the end of the road where it meets the Wando River. The City of Charleston's facility listing mentions its fishing pier, playground, benches, trails and water feature. The POA's park page adds Swings with a View, the Hammock Garden and the Water Fountain Play Area.
Here's what's on the island calendar between now and the expected reopening:
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 15, 5–7 p.m. | Fall Acoustic Guitar Series | Waterfront Park |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 7 p.m. | The Red Clay Strays, with The Revivalists and Haley Reinhart | Credit One Stadium |
| Sun., Oct. 18, noon–4 p.m. | Lowcountry Buddy Walk, one-mile walk at 3 p.m. | Etiwan Park |
| Thu., Oct. 22, 5–7 p.m. | Fall Acoustic Guitar Series, final night | Waterfront Park |
| Fri., Oct. 23, 8 p.m. | Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds | Credit One Stadium |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Bark in the Park, rain date Oct. 25 | Waterfront Park |
| Sun., Oct. 25, 4:30–7:30 p.m. | Pumpkin Walk & Halloween Bash | Smythe Park |
The Fall Acoustic Guitar Series started on Aug. 27 and has two Thursdays left. It's free, the Daniel Island Community Fund sponsors it, and the event page bills it as live music with views of the Wando River. The Daniel Island Community Fund is also paying for the boardwalk repairs, so the same fund is behind both the music at the river and the work on the path to it.
Bark in the Park Falls Mid-Closure
The Daniel Island News is holding its sixth annual Bark in the Park at Waterfront Park on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Sunday, Oct. 25 as the rain date. The paper's list of activities:
- Dog-Owner Look-Alike Challenge
- Doggy Runway Competition
- Best Trick Contest
- Doggy Yoga
- Pup Cups
- Best Halloween Costume
- Charlie T. RiverDog
- Adoption Row
- Blessing of the Pets
Pet vendors will hand out free giveaways, and local shelters and rescue groups will bring adoptable dogs. Proceeds go to the Charleston Animal Society. Some older community calendar pages still list the event in early November. The paper's Oct. 6 announcement sets the 2026 date as Oct. 24.
The POA notice describes the closed boardwalk as a daily route for dog walks, and Bark in the Park is at the park where that route ends. Published notices don't say whether the closed section runs into park grounds or touches the park entrances.
No Official Detour Has Been Posted
The closure notice doesn't give an alternate route. The POA points to an island-wide trail system of more than 25 miles and links a parks-and-trails map from its Waterfront Park page. That map is the best place to plan a route to the river while the boardwalk is down.
A 2020 Daniel Island News trail guide describes a Waterfront Park Loop of a little more than two miles. That guide was written six years before this closure, and nothing published since confirms the loop avoids the barriers. Treat it as background on how the waterfront paths connect, not as a current detour.
The Seven Farms End Comes Next
The boardwalk is only part of the work on River Landing Drive. At the corner where it meets Seven Farms Drive, Berkeley County plans to remove the four-way traffic lights and build a roundabout.
Live 5 reported that Berkeley County Council awarded the construction contract to Blythe Development LLC on July 27 for $2,569,097.76. The plan includes the roundabout, landscaping, pedestrian improvements and rapid-flashing beacons on every approach. The whole project costs about $3.4 million and is paid for by the 2022 Berkeley County One Cent Sales Tax Program. The county's own release gives the same terms and says construction is "scheduled to begin this fall."
The start date has moved before. In mid-July, the county's One Cent Sales Tax program update still listed the intersection under "Projects In Design" and expected construction in the third quarter of 2026. That quarter ended Sept. 30. The Sept. 10–16 edition of The Daniel Island News reported that crews were expected to start "in the next 60 days," which points to roughly early November, and that the work could take "up to 180 days." No newer public notice confirms a start date, a lane-closure plan or a completion date.
The same Daniel Island News story raised questions about how construction will work. Charleston Fire Department Station 18 and Charleston Police Team Patrol 5 are less than a block from the intersection. The paper asked how stop-and-go roadwork will affect the crosswalks that people on foot and bike use, including students on their way to and from school. It also reported a worry that drivers will try to avoid the intersection by cutting through nearby lots. Representatives of two neighborhoods of apartments and condos raised that point, saying people "are going to skirt through our parking lot to get around it."
If the paper's 60-day estimate holds, roundabout work could start close to when the boardwalk is expected to reopen. Both ends of River Landing Drive would then be under construction at about the same time, with up to six months of intersection work after that.
What the Corner Looks Like When Both Jobs Are Done
Once the work is finished, the route to the river will have a rebuilt boardwalk along River Landing Drive and a roundabout with flashing beacons on all four approaches in place of the traffic lights at Seven Farms Drive. The association says the reopened boardwalk will be "stronger, safer, and ready for the next generation of morning walks and evening strolls."
For the next few weeks, Waterfront Park is open and its calendar is full: guitar nights on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22 and Bark in the Park on Oct. 24. Smythe Park's Pumpkin Walk & Halloween Bash at 2394 Daniel Island Drive on Oct. 25 is a short trip away. The boardwalk is expected to reopen around mid-November if the weather cooperates. Watch the POA's announcements page for the reopening notice and the county for word on when the roundabout work begins.
At Island House Real Estate, we're following the River Landing Drive work closely. If you're thinking about how the new roundabout and the rebuilt boardwalk might affect a home near the waterfront, we'd be glad to talk it through in a private consultation.
