| SC 22 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conway Bypass/Veterans Highway | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by SCDOT | ||||
| Length: | 39 mi (63 km) | |||
| Existed: | 2001 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| East end: | US 17 near Briarcliffe Acres | |||
| SC 31 near N. Myrtle Beach SC 90 near N. Myrtle Beach SC 905 near Conway US 701 near Homewood SC 319 near Conway |
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| West end: | US 501 near Conway | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Horry | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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South Carolina Highway 22, also known as the Conway Bypass and Veterans Highway, is a four lane freeway that connects U.S. 501 north of Conway, South Carolina to U.S. 17 in Myrtle Beach. The road was opened to traffic on May 4, 2001, six months ahead of schedule. There is speculation that this could become part of Interstate 73 in the near future. The road lacks lights and uses the interstate-style exits and entrances, but the shoulders on the bypass are not wide enough to support interstate traffic and need widening to support the increase in traffic.
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In 1994, the original contract with Fluor Daniel called for six lanes from U.S. 17 to SC 905 and four lanes the rest of the way to U.S. 501. This money depended on a one-cent sales tax devoted to road funding, but voters turned that down.[1]
A bridge was built over the Intracoastal Waterway near 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.[2]
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.[1]
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.[3]
In June 2000, the first section of the Conway Bypass opened 17 months sooner than expected despite flooding from Hurricane Floyd. In November 2000, the section from SC 90 to SC 905, including a 29-foot-high bridge over the Waccamaw River, opened 13 months sooner than planned. The final section opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony in May 2001.[4]
In 2003, the South Carolina General Assembly approved a resolution asking that the Conway Bypass be designated I-73.[5]
The entire route is in the unincorporated Horry County.
| Location | Mile | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aynor | 0.0 | US 501 – Aynor, Marion, Conway | Western terminus |
| 4.3 | SC 319 – Aynor, Homewood | ||
| Homewood | 7.6 | US 701 – Loris, Conway | |
| Hickory Grove | 18.5 | SC 905 – Longs, Conway | |
| Wampee | 22.6 | SC 90 – Nixonville, Star Bluff Crossroads | |
| N. Myrtle Beach | 26.5 | SC 31 – Carolina Forest, Little River | Full Interchange |
| Bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway | |||
| Briarcliffe Acres | 28.3 | Kings Rd. US 17 – Atlantic Beach, Myrtle Beach |
Westbound exit only;Eastern terminus |
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