This busy Horry highway is getting a $7M safety upgrade

A 4-mile expansion along one of Horry County’s busiest highways is slated to begin this summer, bringing safety enhancements and easier access to businesses along the route.

State transportation officials this week sent mailers to property owners along U.S. Highway 701 just north of Loris alerting them to the start of construction, which should take about two years.

Once the $7.5 million venture is complete, the road will widen from three lanes to five from its section in Loris to the S.C. 9 interchange and include a center turn lane, upgraded sidewalks and wider riding areas for cyclists.

Causey said dirt should start turning later this summer, with a mid-2024 completion.

In 2017, the corridor carried 10,900 vehicles a day and it also includes 30 driveways.

“It’s certainly needed, and it’s going to help our businesses out tremendously because it’s so hard to get in and out of there right now,” Horry County Councilman Mark Causey, whose district includes the project area, said.

The work is one of 20 projects being funded through a one percent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 as part of the county’s third road improvement an development effort, or RIDE III.

The initiative is projected to raise $592 million over its eight-year lifespan, which sunsets April 30, 2025.

Several residents told The Sun News that the planned widening doesn’t go far enough.

“Highway 701 needs to be four lanes from the (North Carolina) border all the way through, at least into town,” said Denis Riley. “The volume of traffic has increased so dramatically over the past 20 years. It’s no different than the increases between Conway and Myrtle Beach.”

Bethel Watts agreed, but is grateful for any changes to the road.

“Anything is better than what we have now,” Watts said.