South Carolina Highway 22

Route map:
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the South Carolina highway. For the proposed New Hampshire highway, see Conway Bypass (New Hampshire). For the Maryland highway, see Interstate 70 in Maryland § Korean War Veterans Highway.

South Carolina Highway 22 marker

South Carolina Highway 22

Conway Bypass
Veterans Highway
Map
SC 22 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by SCDOT
Length29.390 mi[1] (47.299 km)
Existed2001–present
Major junctions
West end US 501 near Aynor
Major intersections
East end US 17 near Briarcliffe Acres
Location
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Carolina
CountiesHorry
Highway system
←
US 21
→ SC 23

South Carolina Highway 22 (SC 22), also known as the Conway Bypass and Veterans Highway, is a four lane

US 501 north of Conway, South Carolina, to US 17 in Myrtle Beach.[2] The road was opened to traffic on May 4, 2001, six months ahead of schedule. It is slated to 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.[3][4]

Route Description

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.[5]

A bridge was built over the

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.[6]

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.[5]

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.[7]

In June 2000, the first section of the Conway Bypass opened 17 months sooner than expected despite

ribbon cutting ceremony in May 2001.[8]

In 2003, the South Carolina General Assembly approved a resolution asking that the Conway Bypass be designated I-73.[9]

Future

South Carolina Highway 22 is slated to be upgraded to Interstate standards and eventually become the southernmost terminus of

Myrtle Beach area.[13] Voters subsequently approved RIDE III in November 2016;[14] as of Summer 2022, the project remains in the design phase.[15]

Interest in I-73 was renewed in early 2021 due in part to the announcement of the

American Jobs Plan.[16] Two years later in September 2023, SCDOT announced that Phase I of the project, which would connect I-95 in Dillon County to US 501 south of Latta, would be "shovel ready" by the new year. They also announced that had begun right-of-way purchasing within Horry County from the Little Pee Dee River to the eventual connecting point for I-73 and SC 22.[17]

Junction list

The entire route is in Horry County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
at-grade
and merges with the left lane of southbound US 501.

 I-73 north		Future interchange (unfunded)
​4.8807.854 SC 319 – AynorDiamond interchange
​8.25013.277
 US 701 to SC 410 – Loris, Conway		Four ramp folded diamond interchange, including a loop ramp from US 701 to eastbound SC 22
​19.12030.771 SC 905 – Longs, ConwayFour ramp folded diamond interchange, including a loop ramp from westbound SC 22 to SC 905
​23.217–
23.258		37.364–
37.430		 SC 90 – Little River, ConwayFour ramp folded diamond interchange, including a loop ramp from eastbound SC 22 to SC 90
North Myrtle Beach27.074–
27.153		43.571–
43.699

 SC 31 to US 501 / SC 9 – Myrtle Beach		Cloverstack interchange
Intracoastal Waterway28.587–
28.737		46.006–
46.248		William H. Alford Bridge
trumpet interchange
; Kings Road crosses US 17 at-grade within the interchange.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Highway Logmile Report". South Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  2. ^ Google (June 2, 2013). "Overview map of SC 22" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  3. ^ Morris, Robert (August 16, 2009). "New Lanes in I-73 effort". The Opinion Blog. The Sun News. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  4. ^ Morris, Robert (January 17, 2010). "Brown's retirement spreads the I-73 burden". The Opinion Blog. The Sun News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Zane Wilson, "DOT commits $95 million for Conway Bypass lanes," The Sun News, February 25, 1999.
  6. ^ Zane Wilson, "Bridge to Nowhere to Get Name," The Sun News, February 22, 1999.
  7. ^ Zane Wilson, "South Carolina Approves Bond Sale to Pay for Conway Bypass," The Sun News, March 5, 1999.
  8. ^ "Conway Bypass / Veterans Highway (SC 22), SC, USA". Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  9. ^ "Bill 291, South Carolina General Assembly, 115th Session, 2003-2004". Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  10. ISSN 1061-5105
    .
  11. OCLC 27119790
    .
  12. ^ Hudson, Audrey (March 23, 2016). "Study links SC 22, southern evacuation route, to build I-73". The Sun News. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  13. WPDE
    . Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  14. ^ Hudson, Audrey (2016-12-13). "RIDE III road work gets a jump start". The Sun News.
  15. ^ "RIDE 3 Dashboard - Horry County SC.Gov". www.horrycountysc.gov. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  16. ^ Shoemaker, J. Dale; Chambers, Francesca (April 5, 2021). "Could Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure plan fund I-73 in Myrtle Beach? What we know". The Sun News. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  17. ^ James, Andrew (20 September 2023). "SCDOT official says I-73 first phase is 'shovel ready' come 2024". WPDE. Retrieved 21 November 2023.

External links

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