Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You aren't from here, huh? AFAIK, there is one toll road in the state.
Our roads are in woeful condition and the last thing we need is to build a road that probably isn't needed. Myrtle Beach deserves to get major interstate work done given the sheer amount of money it pumps into the state economy.
I think that road is needed. It will cut down the time so much. For example Beaufort to hilton head takes almost an hour when it should be about a 15min ride if there was a road connected. That same road from Savannah to Charleston would cut down time because you no longer have to go get on 95. We do have 17 already going up to mrtyle but that's why it should be a highway so it will save time and cut out gerogetown pretty much.
I think that road is needed. It will cut down the time so much. For example Beaufort to hilton head takes almost an hour when it should be about a 15min ride if there was a road connected. That same road from Savannah to Charleston would cut down time because you no longer have to go get on 95. We do have 17 already going up to mrtyle but that's why it should be a highway so it will save time and cut out gerogetown pretty much.
Arguably this would go a decent ways of making Charleston more accessible. Course the issue with the cost of such an endeavor is whether it'd be worth it when I-95 already does 90% of such a routes job, Sure we'd get Interestate level connection from Charleston to Myrtle Beach and Wilmington but how much time would that actually shave off a drive to Virginia Beach..... and that's not even getting into the cost of grading 17 through West Ashley and Mt. Pleasant (or god forbid the peninsula) for highway travel.
Looking at Google Earth Mt. Pleasant has 5 at grade crossings between 526 and the Ravennel bridge (though it looks like there are plans to add an overpass over one of these in the near term), past 526 it's an insane number and you'd be better off redoing 526's end in Mt. Pleasant a bit to allow traffic to get onto 526 then go a slightly roundabout route to get on Hungry Neck Blvd and upgrade that road, Hungry Neck to the James island connector would be a further 7 unavoidable overpasses (the main issue here is going to be fitting overpasses behind town center where you've got an old folks home, an apartment complex and a small road with like 3 houses on it where Hungry neck is the only access). IOP connector to 6 mile road would have another 5 (though only 3 of those are required as being the lone access to houses/businesses with one being the overpass over 6mile road), Past that there are old plans to extend the Sweetgrass parkway which wouldn't require any overpasses but that gets you to Billy Swails Blvd which would put a highway right next to an elementary school...... at that point you'd be connecting up to 17 again around KOA campground and then have to worry about regrading the road out to Awendaw where you get space again...... 17 in west Ashley would effectively require a viaduct above the existing road out to at least the Long Branch of the Stono River. Well.... that or they finish 526 and reorganize downtown a little so you can get on the Jamees island connector from the Crosstown without any lights. You'd still need a viaduct from 526 to the Long branch but that's relatively minor compared to one the whole length of West Ashley...
Myrtle Beach already thought ahead and has the Carolina Bays Pkwy that is already graded for most of the distance of the city
Arguably this would go a decent ways of making Charleston more accessible. Course the issue with the cost of such an endeavor is whether it'd be worth it when I-95 already does 90% of such a routes job, Sure we'd get Interestate level connection from Charleston to Myrtle Beach and Wilmington but how much time would that actually shave off a drive to Virginia Beach..... and that's not even getting into the cost of grading 17 through West Ashley and Mt. Pleasant (or god forbid the peninsula) for highway travel.
Looking at Google Earth Mt. Pleasant has 5 at grade crossings between 526 and the Ravennel bridge (though it looks like there are plans to add an overpass over one of these in the near term), past 526 it's an insane number and you'd be better off redoing 526's end in Mt. Pleasant a bit to allow traffic to get onto 526 then go a slightly roundabout route to get on Hungry Neck Blvd and upgrade that road, Hungry Neck to the James island connector would be a further 7 unavoidable overpasses (the main issue here is going to be fitting overpasses behind town center where you've got an old folks home, an apartment complex and a small road with like 3 houses on it where Hungry neck is the only access). IOP connector to 6 mile road would have another 5 (though only 3 of those are required as being the lone access to houses/businesses with one being the overpass over 6mile road), Past that there are old plans to extend the Sweetgrass parkway which wouldn't require any overpasses but that gets you to Billy Swails Blvd which would put a highway right next to an elementary school...... at that point you'd be connecting up to 17 again around KOA campground and then have to worry about regrading the road out to Awendaw where you get space again...... 17 in west Ashley would effectively require a viaduct above the existing road out to at least the Long Branch of the Stono River. Well.... that or they finish 526 and reorganize downtown a little so you can get on the Jamees island connector from the Crosstown without any lights. You'd still need a viaduct from 526 to the Long branch but that's relatively minor compared to one the whole length of West Ashley...
Myrtle Beach already thought ahead and has the Carolina Bays Pkwy that is already graded for most of the distance of the city
Yeah Myrtle Beach/Horry County did think ahead when planning for Carolina Bays Pkwy and also when they added SC 22 into North Myrtle Beach. I wonder if they would have wished if the Carolina Bays went further south (Murrells Inlet) and intersected with Hwy 17 directly as the growth in that area is pretty strong.. Maybe there was no land to do so or marsh/wetlands prevented it.. Any rate something is better than nothing and what they have now certainly is plus.
US 17 from 95 up to coast to atleast Wilmington would be an improvement. 95 has its moments of being very congested and mainly serves out of state travelers passing through SC from NY -FLA. I think that is why is was floated as possibly becoming a toll road to pay for improvements but it never went anywhere. When I lived in Florence. I used to always take Hwy 52 to Charleston as opposed to 95.. But maybe that was a personal preference as I thought it was way more enjoyable.
The logistics of getting 17 through Charleston (assuming using each end of 526 not through the downtown area) and the opposition to do anything in terms of taking up land for more interchanges and concerns over added growth and potential environmental impacts would have it tied up in court for years. I also wonder what happened to I-73 in NW SC..
Last edited by Woodlands; 04-28-2024 at 06:21 AM..
Status:
"Without data, it's just an opinion."
(set 15 days ago)
Location: South of Cakalaki
5,768 posts, read 4,755,368 times
Reputation: 5216
It isn't simply a matter of looking at the map and deciding someone should put a road there. I'd personally like to see 17 south of Charleston improved and reduce intersections. I don't foresee that actually happening any time soon. But I'd guarantee you that there are a lot more people who would like to be able to get from Charleston to 95 than from Augusta to 26 south.
It isn't simply a matter of looking at the map and deciding someone should put a road there. I'd personally like to see 17 south of Charleston improved and reduce intersections. I don't foresee that actually happening any time soon. But I'd guarantee you that there are a lot more people who would like to be able to get from Charleston to 95 than from Augusta to 26 south.
It's really more about the connection to Atlanta than Augusta, and lots of folks would love to be able to take a more direct route between Charleston and Atlanta.
I could easily, without any supporting evidence, make the same case for Augusta to Macon/Savannah/Greenville.
I don't follow. We're talking about greater direct interstate connectivity for Charleston here, not Augusta. It's about getting between two popular destinations in neighboring states more quickly and directly. You'd have a similar point arguing for a direct route from Greenville to Savannah via Augusta, but that doesn't seem to be in more demand than Charleston to/from Atlanta.
Status:
"Without data, it's just an opinion."
(set 15 days ago)
Location: South of Cakalaki
5,768 posts, read 4,755,368 times
Reputation: 5216
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
I don't follow. We're talking about greater direct interstate connectivity for Charleston here, not Augusta. It's about getting between two popular destinations in neighboring states more quickly and directly. You'd have a similar point arguing for a direct route from Greenville to Savannah via Augusta, but that doesn't seem to be in more demand than Charleston to/from Atlanta.
I don't think the demand exists for any of them, honestly. Except for MB to 95, which has been discussed at great length.
I don't think the demand exists for any of them, honestly. Except for MB to 95, which has been discussed at great length.
I wish they went with the original proposal with I-73 and have it gone from Charleston to Florence to Charlotte. Then they could have built a freeway from Myrtle Beach to I-73. I swear, SC politics in the z40s and 50s didn’t have a whole lot of foresight
It can help them all. Especially if there was a direct highway from Savannah to Charleston to myrtle Beach
That would basically be Highway 17. The coastal cities are going to be impossible to connect anymore directly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
