South Carolina Highway 22
South Carolina Highway 22 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conway Bypass Veterans Highway | ||||
 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by SCDOT | ||||
| Length | 28.2 mi[1] (45.4 km) | |||
| Existed | 2001–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 501 near Aynor | |||
| ||||
| East end |  US 17 near Briarcliffe Acres | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | South Carolina | |||
| Counties | Horry | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
South Carolina Highway 22 (SC 22), also known as the Conway Bypass and Veterans Highway, is a four lane freeway that connects US 501 north of Conway, South Carolina to US 17 in Myrtle Beach. The road was opened to traffic on May 4, 2001, six months ahead of schedule. There is speculation that it could become part of Interstate 73 in the future. The road largely meets Interstate Highway standards, but in order to support increased Interstate traffic, its shoulders would need to be expanded to standard width.[2][3]
History
In 1994, the original contract with Fluor Daniel called for six lanes from US 17 to SC 905 and four lanes the rest of the way to US 501. This money depended on a one-cent sales tax devoted to road funding, but voters turned that down.[4]
A bridge was built over the Intracoastal Waterway near Briarcliffe Acres, but it remained the "Bridge to Nowhere" for three years because there was no money to build the road. In February 1999, the South Carolina Senate passed a bill naming the bridge for Billy Alford, state highway commissioner from 1990 to 1994 and commission chair in 1993.[5]
On February 24, 1999, the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission approved $95 million to make the bypass four lanes. Two years earlier, since money was short, the bypass had been reduced to two lanes beyond SC 90, though the $291.3 million project had six lanes to SC 31.
Even with the changes, the road would end up being cheaper than planned because of narrower shoulders and bridges, and more bridges over wetlands.[4]
On March 4, 1999, The Joint Bond Review Committee approved selling bonds for the money approved in February. Widening the bridges was considered, since some believed that the road could need six lanes in only a few years.[6]
In June 2000, the first section of the Conway Bypass opened 17 months sooner than expected despite flooding from Hurricane Floyd. In November 2000, the section from SC 90 to SC 905, including a 29-foot-high bridge over the Waccamaw River, opened 13 months sooner than planned. The final section opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony in May 2001.[7]
In 2003, the South Carolina General Assembly approved a resolution asking that the Conway Bypass be designated I-73.[8]
Future
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Junction list
The entire route is in Horry County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aynor | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 501 – Aynor, Marion, Conway | Western terminus; hybrid interchange consisting of four ramps; three ramps are controlled-access, one is not: the ramp from westbound SC 22 to southbound US 501 crosses US 501's northbound lanes and median at‑grade and merges with the left lane of southbound US 501. | |
  I-73 north | Future interchange (unfunded) | ||||
| | 4.3 | 6.9 |  SC 319 – Aynor | Diamond interchange | |
| | 7.6 | 12.2 |    US 701 to SC 410 – Loris, Conway | Four ramp folded diamond interchange, including a loop ramp from US 701 to eastbound SC 22 | |
| | 18.5 | 29.8 |  SC 905 – Longs, Conway | Four ramp folded diamond interchange, including a loop ramp from westbound SC 22 to SC 905 | |
| | 22.6 | 36.4 |  SC 90 – Little River, Conway | Four ramp folded diamond interchange, including a loop ramp from eastbound SC 22 to SC 90 | |
| | 26.5 | 42.6 |   SC 31 to SC 9 – Myrtle Beach, Little River | Cloverstack interchange | |
| Intracoastal Waterway | 28.0 | 45.1 | William H. Alford Bridge | ||
| Briarcliffe Acres | 28.2 | 45.4 | US 17 – Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach | Eastern terminus; trumpet interchange; Kings Road crosses US 17 at‑grade within the interchange. | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
- ^ a b Google (June 2, 2013). "South Carolina Highway 22" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ^ Morris, Robert (August 16, 2009). "New Lanes in I-73 effort". The Opinion Blog. The Sun News. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
- ^ Morris, Robert (January 17, 2010). "Brown's retirement spreads the I-73 burden". The Opinion Blog. The Sun News. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
- ^ a b Zane Wilson, "DOT commits $95 million for Conway Bypass lanes," The Sun News, February 25, 1999.
- ^ Zane Wilson, "Bridge to Nowhere to Get Name," The Sun News, February 22, 1999.
- ^ Zane Wilson, "South Carolina Approves Bond Sale to Pay for Conway Bypass," The Sun News, March 5, 1999.
- ^ "Conway Bypass / Veterans Highway (SC 22), SC, USA". Retrieved 2010-03-30.
- ^ "Bill 291, South Carolina General Assembly, 115th Session, 2003-2004". Retrieved 2010-03-30.
External links
Media related to South Carolina Highway 22 at Wikimedia Commons
