CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Thursday the Ride III Commission made the final selection on how it wants to spend $590 million on road improvements.
County leaders say it will take $2 billion dollars to get all the roads fixed and built.
And the $590 million Ride III budget can only fix so much, but Chairman Eddie Dyer says he thinks the commission selected the best roads for the project
The money will go towards 13 projects, 100 miles of repaving, and 100 miles of dirt roads.
The Road improvements include:
Highway 501 widening and extension Improvements
Realignment of Highway 501
SELL – funding for studies and land purchase
Conway Perimeter Road Phase II – construct new road
Forestbrook Road – widening and add turn lanes
Carolina Forest Boulevard – widening and add traffic lights
Highway 9 East – expand to 4 lanes add curb, gutter and sidewalk
Highway 701 – widening
Highway 17 Garden City intersection improvements
Palmetto Pointe Boulevard Extension
Highway 31 extension
Two new roads made the list from the original plans. The 701 connector to Highway 9 and Fred Nash Boulevard will connect to Harrelson Boulevard.
However, there is still a long ways before everything is finalized. Dyer says the next step in the process is presenting the plans to each community in Horry County.
From there Horry County Council will approve the roads.
And then the community will have final say in a November vote. Dyer says the vote is vital for better roads in Horry County.
“There is no plan ‘B’ and people need to know that when they go to the polls. That if they want better roads, they can either vote for this or there will be no funding,” he said.
Dyer says if the penny sales tax does not pass the ballot in November the county will only have $10 million to spend on road improvements.
Between March and April, Dyer and the commission will go to seven different communities within Horry County for input.
