Southern Connector comes with environmental concerns | News | myhorrynews.com

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Coastal Conservation League’s Trapper Fowler (left) and Becky Ryon explain their opposition to the Southern Connector on a pontoon boat near where many of the proposed routes for the $1.56 billion road would cross through the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge and over the Waccamaw River. (Photo by S.T. Cardinal / [email protected])

Trapper Fowler sits on the bow of a pontoon boat on the Waccamaw River near Bucksport.

“Do you hear that?” Crickets, birds, nothing else. Exactly his point.

Fowler and the Coastal Conservation League invited reporters to a boat ride with Waccamaw Outfitters to see where the proposed S.C. Highway 22 extension, or Southern Connector, could cross over the Waccamaw River. While the exact route is not set in stone, 10 of the 16 possible routes show the road going through the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge and over the Waccamaw River just downstream from the Bucksport Marina.

“This is a wildlife refuge. It’s supposed to be protected forever,” Fowler, north coast office deputy director for the Coastal Conservation League, said. “It’s supposed to be a place where animals can come and seek habitat, seek refuge and rest and be undisturbed.”

The Southern Connector, which could range from 28 to 36 miles, is one of many projects on the RIDE IV list.

RIDE IV would continue a penny sales tax to fund transportation projects in the county, the fourth iteration of the tax. The big difference from the previous versions, however, is the length that the tax would be enacted. RIDE I, II and III were all for seven-year terms while RIDE IV would be for 25 years.

Voters will decide whether to approve RIDE IV during the statewide general election Nov. 5 (early voting continues through Nov. 2) where it’s listed as a ballot referendum.

The question is displayed on the ballot with a full list of projects – more than 1,500 words and extending across multiple pages on the ballot.

Proponents of the referendum point out that visitors to the county would pay for a majority of the tax.

“Given the popularity of our community as a tourism destination, visitors currently pay for 66 percent of the total revenue generated for transportation enhancements,” Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce chief advocacy officer Jimmy Gray writes. “The one percent tax is only collected for lodging accommodations, prepared food and retail sales, so groceries and unprepared food are exempt.

“Voters in Horry County will have the opportunity to decide if they want to have visitors help pay for upgrading existing roads and building new routes or if they want residents to shoulder that burden. Advocates believe that visitors should help pay their share so we’re encouraging folks to vote YES on RIDE 4.”

Over its quarter-century lifetime, the tax is estimated to bring in $5.5 billion. The county is expecting to receive $1.1 billion in state and federal funding as well, allowing for $6.6 billion to be invested into transportation infrastructure.

Coastal Conservation League’s mission is pretty evident from its name. The nonprofit advocates for the protection and preservation of natural lands along the South Carolina coast.

So their opposition to the Southern Connector is not surprising. The four-lane highway would cut through the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge in all of the potential routes, according to a mitigation analysis, and the 10 possible routes that would cut through the Bucksport community would have an even bigger impact on the wildlife refuge.

“We don’t have any wilderness areas, so this is about as close as they can get,” Fowler said. “And when you stick a road through it, think about all the noise pollution. Predators gotta be able to hear their prey to hunt them, and vice versa. You have birds that need to breed here and find mates. Those things will become more difficult with a huge road here, not to mention the habitat fragmentation.”

The Waccamaw River just south of the Bucksport Marina could drastically change if the Southern Connector, a $1.56 billion road part of the RIDE IV project list, is built along one of the alternative routes that goes through Bucksport. (Photo by S.T. Cardinal / [email protected])

The WNWR is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protected habitat of about 29,000 acres.

The Southern Connector, a $1.56 billion road, would cross through the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge or SCDNR-managed lands in all 16 of the proposed routes. (Courtesy Conceptual Alternatives Study/SCDOT)

Species that call the refuge home include the swallow-tailed kite, osprey, wood stork, white ibis and the black bear. Fowler said it is important for many species to have a continuous habitat that is not broken or fragmented by roads.

And to build through a wildlife refuge, mitigation is necessary, which could come with a hefty price. According to a Mitigation Needs Analysis commissioned by SCDOT and Horry County, “impacts [on the wildlife refuge] could range from high to very high due to the need for the roadway to cross the Waccamaw River which is an integral part of adjacent refuge acreage, management and use.”

Becky Ryon, north coast office director for the Coastal Conservation League, said the amount of land that is required to be mitigated from a project varies, but would be high in an instance where a wildlife refuge is impacted.

For comparison reasons, a conceptual alternatives study (CAS) commissioned by SCDOT and Horry County writes that for every acre impacted in Sandy Island, 60 acres were required to be mitigated. For the most recent extension of I-73, that ratio was lower at 29:1.

“If we were to gain a whole lot of mitigation because of this road, sure that’d be great, but does it solve the problem? No,” Fowler said. “You’re still going to have a huge impact in the middle of a wildlife refuge, federally protected land that’s meant to be protected forever.”

The cost to mitigate those impacts would likely be in the tens of millions. A mitigation needs analysis study commissioned by SCDOT and Horry County estimates that total mitigation costs could range from $30 million to $40 million.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the lead federal agency over the S.C. Hwy. 22 extension

“The Corps’ review of the SC-22 Extension Project is ongoing, and we are in the initial phase of our review of SCDOT’s proposed project,” wrote Glenn Jeffries, a spokesperson for the Army Corps Charleston Division.

Ryon said the Army Corps would need to regulate any wetland impacts from the road and issue specific permits to build the road in order to abide by the Clean Water Act.

The road going through the refuge is one thing, but Fowler looks at the potential construction of the 22 extension not as the end result, but as the beginning of more development surrounding the road.

“When they run a road through here, not only is the land use going to change dramatically in Bucksport, but everywhere this thing has an on ramp or off ramp, which could be 701 South, Burgess, Highway 17, but then all the way back to 378,” Fowler said. “Look at where 22 touches Highway 90 or touches 905 and how those areas are just growing exponentially. So the land use change will change dramatically because of this road.”

The route isn’t finalized, and neither are where exit ramps would be built, but Fowler said anywhere that off ramps are constructed would inevitably lead to what you expect at exit ramps: gas stations, drive-thru fast food joints, dollar stores and houses.

Alternative route 1 of the Southern Connector, shown in pink in the above map, would travel through the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge and up through Bucksport and western Horry County before connecting to S.C. Hwy. 22 near Aynor. (Courtesy Conceptual Alternatives Study/SCDOT)

The addition of International Drive can be looked at as an example of what a newly-built road can do to an area. Carolina Forest used to be concentrated around U.S. Hwy. 501 and River Oaks Drive. The extension of Robert Grissom Parkway into International Drive to Hwy. 90 led to an influx of development around the intersection of Robert Grissom Parkway and River Oaks Drive, including thousands of residential units.

“Is the road going to help with traffic flow like I’ve heard some folks from the county say? No, it won’t because, think about it, anywhere you touch down and have those exit ramps, you’re going to have more houses,” Fowler said. “It’s going to change the way of life over here in Bucksport and 701 South.”

Steve Howell has lived in the Bucksport community of Horry County for 72 years and he’s quite concerned about the possibility of a four-lane highway going through his neighborhood.

“This is going to be a major route from 22 to the ocean,” Howell said. “It’s going to really destroy, culturally, our whole community where we’ve always been a farming, rural, family-owned farm community for over 200 years. It’s going to destroy every bit of that.”

This map shows a portion of a potential route of the Southern Connector which shows the road intersecting the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, crossing over the Waccamaw River and then through the Bucksport community. Across from Righthand Creek the Bucksport Marina can be seen. (Courtesy Southern Evacuation Lifeline national resources technical memorandum)

Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority owns more than 8,000 acres of land in Bucksport. They have a wastewater treatment plant, a water plant, a composting facility, a tree farm and a sod farm. Christy Holder, CEO of GSWSA, said a lot of the land GSWSA owns has a land application permit through the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

“We use a majority of the property for our land application process. If we aren’t using it, there are certain areas that are environmentally protected. We have a red-cockaded woodpecker haven down there that is environmentally protected and that property cannot be disturbed at all,” Holder said.

Howell said he is worried that GSWSA would sell some of that land to housing developers, altering the Bucksport community in a serious and permanent way.

“From the Waccamaw River to the Big Pee Dee River, them 7,000 acres, they plan it to be something like Hilton Head,” Howell said. “When you’re in Bucksport, you’re only like three miles from the ocean at Surfside Beach. Three miles through the woods. Now what they want to do is build this road through the edge of their property so they can develop all these 7,000 acres into a huge city. It’s not for the community.”

Holder said the utility has no plans to sell its land and that the large acreage the utility owns is in preparation for the anticipated continued growth of Horry County. GSWSA provides water and utility services for most of Horry County as well as into neighboring counties.

“Grand Strand has no plans of ever selling any of the property,” Holder said. “We use the water and treatment processes and the byproducts of those processes, so there is no intention to develop any of that property… We are in the water and sewer business and we’re in the biosolids and composting business and the property down there will continue to operate as it does today. There’s no intent of ever selling the property or developing the property, particularly associated with the extension of 22.”

Growth is one, and flooding is another concern for Howell. Removing wetlands would likely increase flooding in the Bucksport community which has had flooding issues in the past.

According to an alternatives analysis, 13 of the 16 proposed routes would impact more than 250 acres of wetlands with alternative four expected to impact 326 acres, the most of any alternative. Wetlands act as a sponge during heavy rainfall events, naturally absorbing rain in its marshes and reducing flooding in developed areas. Removing those sponges and replacing them with concrete exacerbates the problem.

“If the Horry Independent mitigation bank that’s off of Highway 90 over by Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve ends up being mitigation for this, that’s not going to help the residents of Bucksport or Burgess with their flooding issues,” Ryon with the Coastal Conservation League said. “And the [Waccamaw National Wildlife] Refuge has had a substantial impact on reducing the amount of flooding that we’ve seen.”

Howell said he believes the road construction would lead to more development, leading to increased property valuations which would lead to increased property taxes for Bucksport residents. He said all his neighbors he has spoken with are opposed to the road.

“No matter who is against it, they’re going to build it,” Howell said. “Nobody wants this.

“They’ll call it an evacuation route to start, they’ll paint it a pretty color, but it’s not for the people. Nobody wants it down here. It’s gonna hurt us and screw our property prices up so high we ain’t gonna be able to afford it. I’ve talked to a lot of people who said they’re going to have to sell and move out.”

When the road was originally envisioned in 2003, it was known as the Southern Evacuation Lifeline, or SELL.

That name has been dropped, but supporters of the project still say it would reduce evacuation times in case of a hurricane.

“One of the RIDE 4 transportation enhancement projects is the proposed extension of SC Hwy 22 from Aynor to the south end,” Gray, the Chamber’s advocacy officer, said. “Communities in the south end of Horry County have seen significant growth and residents are eager for solutions to get west of Conway without using 544 or 501. County officials determined that building a “Southern Connector” was an important project to include among the RIDE 4 list.”

The road would essentially connect Aynor to Surfside Beach. The ballot referendum states that the road would connect the Highway 17 Bypass in the Surfside Beach/Murrells Inlet area to U.S. Hwy. 501 near Aynor. Bob Childs, former Surfside Beach mayor, said the road is much needed, and not only for the Surfside Beach area.

“The road would let all the people from Georgetown take that evacuation route,” Childs said. “If you’ve been through Surfside any time in the past 10 years, it’s bumper to bumper now, and we don’t have any kind of evacuation, so you can imagine doubling and tripling up the number of cars on 17.”

According to the CAS, the time it would take for a complete, staggered evacuation for zones A-C without the construction of the road would be 27 hours and 39 minutes. With the road built, that time could reduce to anywhere between 26 hours and 36 minutes to 27 hours and 11 minutes, depending on which alternative route of the road is built.

Fowler said the road name had been changed from Southern Evacuation Lifeline because it was not deemed to be considered an evacuation route by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The road could also decrease regular traffic on roads like U.S. Hwy. 501 and S.C. Hwy. 544.

According to projections in the conceptual alternatives study, traveling from U.S. 17 Bypass to the U.S. 501/S.C. 22 interchange would take 44 minutes in the a.m. peak hour and 115 minutes in the p.m. peak hour if the Southern Connector is not built. These estimates are for the year 2040 if growth continues as expected in the county.

With the construction of the road, some alternatives show those estimated times decreasing to as little as 30 minutes in the a.m. and 56 minutes in the p.m. That’s a 14 minute and 59 minute decrease, respectively.

Where exactly will the road be? That’s to be determined.

A “conceptual alternatives study” commissioned by Horry County and SCDOT provides a lot of information about the potential project, but the route is not confirmed. The 5,000-plus page document shows 16 potential routes. Fowler said some go through neighborhoods.

Some alternative routes of the Southern Connector, like route 14 shown above, avoid the Bucksport area of Horry County and cross the Waccamaw River closer to the city of Conway. (Courtesy Conceptual Alternatives Study/SCDOT)

“These folks are being asked to vote on something that, I don’t even think they realize that they’re voting on something that could lead to them having to leave their homes,” he said. “They’re voting on something that the county and DOT are unable to identify an exact route. How can you ask somebody to vote on something where there’s not a specific route already determined?”

All 16 routes would impact residential or commercial buildings, meaning eminent domain could displace people from their homes. According to the CAS, the number of relocations would vary from 40 to 160.

“As it is the goal of Horry County to minimize impacts to its citizens, the total number of potential relocations will be considered when determining reasonable alternatives,” the CAS writes. “Potential relocations are based on conceptual alternative designs. As project design advances and final construction plans are completed, further measures to avoid and minimize impacts will occur, which may lower the number of total anticipated relocations.”

When the project would be completed is up in the air as well. The project is listed in the “commence in years 1-5” window on the ballot referendum, but it’s unclear how long construction would take or whether project commencement means breaking ground or just finalizing plans for the road.

Horry County estimates that the price tag of the Southern Connector would be $1.56 billion and the CAS estimates construction costs ranging from $380.1 million to $954.7 million, depending on the route. The CAS estimates do not account for engineering design, mitigation or right of way acquisition.

Millions have been spent on the road even before its confirmation. RIDE III set aside $25 million for the project in assessment costs alone, according to the CAS commissioned by the county and SCDOT. And former Surfside Beach mayor Childs said he believes a lot of money was spent on lawyers.

“I think we spent more money on lawyers than we would have on the connector,” he said. “I went to one meeting and a former state representative asked them, “if you don’t like our idea, why don’t you give us yours?” And it was dead silent. So the environmentalists have evidently really thrown a kink in this Southern Evacuation Lifeline.”

As far as the possibility of the road leading to more sprawl and exacerbating the problem, Childs said the solution is simple.

“I think the bottom line is if they are afraid of development along that road, the county can change the zoning and not allow any building along there,” Childs said. “Because then if you do that, then you’re back to square one again and you’ll need another road to bypass that road. I think the county should take that into consideration and just change the zoning to allow that road to go through and not allow any development along it. Maybe the environmentalists would agree on something like that.”

Voters will decide whether to approve funding for the Southern Connector, as well as all the other roads on the RIDE IV project list in the statewide general election held Nov. 5. Early voting is open through Nov. 2.

Tommy Cardinal is the managing editor of MyHorryNews. Reach him at 843-488-7244 or [email protected]. Follow him on X @BySTCardinal.

Though RIDE III expires next year, most of the projects will not be completed by then.

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