Task force named for southern evacuation route
By Paul Gable
The Herald
A task force of elected officials and citizens from Horry and Georgetown counties was named this week to take the lead role in helping develop the environmental impact statement for the project.
Members of the task force are as follows: Horry County Council Chairman Liz Gilland, Horry County Councilman Howard Barnard, Horry County Councilman James Frazier, South Carolina House Representative Nelson Hardwick, Georgetown County Councilman Johnny Morant, Brant Bradham, Coupe DeVille, Mitchell Flannery, Mark Hoeweler, Dick Johnson, Gary Loftus, Wilbur Marlowe, Harold Phillips, Joe Young, Georgetown County Councilman Jerry Oakley, Tom Herron, Lee Hewitt and
Glen O’Connell.
The project, named the Southern Evacuation Life Line (SELL) recently received a grant of $4 million from federal transportation funds and $1 million in matching funds from SCDOT to move forward on environmental studies for the road project.
“A southern evacuation route for citizens from Surfside Beach to Pawleys Island was one of my main goals when I ran for the General Assembly in 2004,” said Hardwick. “I am pleased we are able to begin the studies which will eventually result in a stand alone road to evacuate the 100,000 citizens in that area in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.”
“This is the number one road project for Horry County,” said Gilland. “The reality is people don’t evacuate early when they hear of a potential hurricane or other emergency. Our current estimate is it will take 28 hours to evacuate the citizens from the Surfside Beach to Pawleys Island areas with our current roads. This project will cut that time down and help save lives if we have an event such as a hurricane Katrina in our area.”
A completed evacuation route will actually involve two projects - the extension of S. C. 31 to U. S. 701 and the widening of Hwy 707 to Murrells Inlet with an eventual connection between 707 and 701.
In setting up the task force, members from the former RIDE I and RIDE II task forces were included as well as the Citizens Advisory Road Study (CARS), the Grand Strand Advisory Transportation Subcommittee (GSATS) and elected officials.
“We are going to get a lot more done by working together,” said Hardwick, the only state level elected official in the group. “This is a road whose time has come.”
The environmental impact study will be critical for the future of the project. Environmental groups have strongly resisted the idea of a bridge across the Waccamaw River south of U. S. 501 since talk of a Conway Bypass first began nearly 20 years ago.
Hardwick, an environmental engineer, believes a corridor can be found which will be environmentally friendly.
“Water quality has always been important to Horry County and always will be,” Hardwick said. “I believe we can cross the Waccamaw River without affecting the environment. We will strive to identify an evacuation route in the most environmentally and historically friendly way possible.”
In addition to being an evacuation route in the event of emergencies, Hardwick also sees the route as a lifeline in the everyday lives of citizens.
“This will truly be a lifeline for all types of things,” said Hardwick. “A southern route across the Waccamaw will provide quicker access to hospitals for the people of the Bucksport area, as well as better access for police, fire and other public services. There will come a time when we will either be very happy we did build it or very sorry we didn’t.”
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