Why were trees removed along highway in Conway? Here’s what’s happening with construction
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Trees that have been cut down lay next to the road near the Conway branch of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. All along U.S. 701 north of Conway until S.C. 22, land’s being prepared for something new.
With greenery cleared, some Conway residents recently took to social media, wondering what the construction was for.
The cleared land along Highway 701 north of Conway is part of Horry County’s broader road infrastructure improvement programs paid for by a penny sales tax, Ride III. One of the projects includes widening Highway 701 from S.C. Highway 319 to S.C. 22. According to Horry County’s Ride III Dashboard, the project will widen the two-lane road to five lanes and add a center turn lane, sidewalks and wider travel lanes.
Slated for completion in the fall of 2026, the project’s estimated budget is $65.1 million. Horry County Director of Public Information Mikayla Moskov did not return a request for comment before publication.
Widening 701 north of Conway isn’t the only planned project for the highway within Ride III. The infrastructure improvements include widening 701 north of Loris, scheduled for completion during the 2025 summer and expected to cost $7.5 million.
This fall, Horry County voters will also get a chance to vote on whether they want to pay for further widening of U.S. 701.
The penny sales tax approved in 2016 for Ride III expires in April 2025, and county voters will get to vote this November on renewing the “one percent local sales and use tax” for road projects proposed by a potential Ride IV, according to the Ride IV web page on the Horry County website.
Two of Ride IV’s proposed infrastructure plans include widening U.S. 701 to four lanes with turn lanes at intersections from S.C. 22 to S.C. 410 and S.C. 9 Bypass to the North Carolina state line. The projected estimated cost of the two projects is $243 million.
The Ride IV measure will be on the final page of the Horry County voter’s ballot. The question will ask if a person wants to vote for a special use 1% tax for the road projects listed.
Horry County voters previously approved Ride I, II and III.
