Chapter 8: Transportation - 1 Unincorporated Horry County
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INTRODUCTION Transportation plays a critical role in people’s daily routine and representation from each of the three counties, municipalities, addresses a minimum of a 20-year planning horizon and includes quality of life. It also plays a significant role in economic COAST RTA, SCDOT, and WRCOG. GSATS agencies analyze the both long- and short-range strategies and actions that lead to the development and public safety. Because transportation projects short- and long-range transportation needs of the region and offer development of an integrated, intermodal transportation system often involve local, state, and often federal coordination for a public forum for transportation decision making. that facilitates the efficient movement of people and goods. The funding, construction standards, and to meet regulatory Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) is a 5 year capital projects guidelines, projects are identified many years and sometimes plan adopted by the GSATS and by SCDOT. The local TIP also decades prior to the actual construction of a new facility or includes a 3 year estimate of transit capital and maintenance improvement. Coordinating transportation projects with future requirements. The projects within the TIP are derived from the MTP. growth is a necessity. The Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments (WRCOG) not The Transportation Element provides an analysis of transportation only assists in managing GSATS, but it also helps SCDOT with systems serving Horry County including existing roads, planned or transportation planning outside of the boundaries of the MPO for proposed major road improvements and new road construction, Horry, Georgetown, and Williamsburg counties. SCDOT partnered existing transit projects, existing and proposed bicycle and with WRCOG to develop the Rural Long-Range Transportation Plan pedestrian facilities. (RLTRP) to identify and prioritize state highway needs for areas outside of the MPO. The Rural Long Range Transportation REGIONAL PLANNING EFFORTS Improvement Plan (Rural TIP) covers funded “Guideshare” There are a number of agencies involved in transportation regional improvement projects that comply with South Carolina planning efforts, including Grand Strand Area Transportation Study ACT 114 and are identified in the Rural Long Range Transportation (GSATS), Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments Plan. The TIP is not only a plan but a fiscally constrained document. (WRCOG), and numerous County departments. In addition, South Additionally, it covers other federally funded project awards Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and area designated to a municipality or agency within rural jurisdictions. municipalities play a critical role in identifying interjurisdictional These federally funded projects are typically expected to be project needs. undertaken during a six-year period. GSATS and WRCOG Planning Areas Grand Strand Area Transportation Study (GSATS) is the SPECIALIZED STUDIES AND PLANS GSATS is responsible for an overall 2040 Metropolitan Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) as designated by the Beyond these regional planning initiatives that are mandated to Transportation Plan (MTP) that identifies the most desirable and receive federal and state transportation funding, GSATS and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the urbanized region efficient means of meeting transportation needs. The plan agencies involved in it have developed a number of of Brunswick, Horry, and Georgetown counties. It is made up of transportation plans and studies that are relevant to --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 8: Transportation - 1 unincorporated Horry County. These plans are used to The Kings Highway Corridor Study (2008) area covers the section In addition to the East Coast Greenway planning efforts, Horry inform future corridor design and bicycle and pedestrian of US Hwy 17 Kings Hwy from Farrow Parkway up to the City limits County has developed the Horry County Bicycle and Pedestrian needs. The County utilizes these plans to ensure that of North Myrtle Beach. In the County’s jurisdiction, it addresses the Plan. It identifies opportunities for greater connectivity for bicyclists development in these areas coincides with the area known as Restaurant Row. The plan includes and pedestrians, including projects associated with roadway recommendations of the plans. recommended projects and design cross sections for the improvements and trail systems to connect neighborhoods and corridor. destinations. To date, the plan identifies the needs in the Carolina The Northeast Area Transportation Plan (2009) study area Forest and Burgess communities; however, there is an expressed is bounded by SC 22 to the west, SC 90 and SC 57 to the north, The Comprehensive Road Improvement Plan is also known as the desire to expand the plan to include all of the bicycle and SC 9 to the east, and the Intracoastal Waterway to the south. The dirt road paving plan. This plan was developed to address road pedestrian needs of unincorporated Horry County. study area also includes the Little River Neck area south improvement needs for the unincorporated areas of the County. of the Intracoastal and east of SC 9. The plan looks beyond the It is regularly updated by Horry County Council as projects are EXISTING PLANS FINDINGS roadway to determine the effects of growth on the built completed or deemed infeasible. Projects are added to the Transportation plans and studies are currently underway in Horry environment and acknowledges the importance of balancing plan as approved by Resolution by County Council. County. These plans and studies range in size and design based the land use and transportation equation. This project on the area of which they are implemented to target. At this time, approach features tools aimed at creating a successful merger The East Coast Greenway is projected to be a 2,600-mile Horry County largely relies on GSATS and the WRCOG to develop between smart growth and the demands of the roadway long multi-use urban spine trail system extending from the its transportation plans. As unincorporated Horry County begins to users. The plan includes a Transportation Best Practices northeast corner of Maine (Calais, Maine) to the southern tip of develop and urbanize, the demand for localized planning efforts Toolbox which provides background information and guiding the Florida Keys. The East Coast Greenway Master Plan (2003) will increase. Such planning can refine and define community principles on access management, collector street plan focuses on the 92 miles of trail that will make up the East character and shape quality growth. planning, complete streets, and interchange design. Coast Greenway route through Horry County and Georgetown County. The plan is being implemented through Transportation Alternatives Funds that are prioritized and allocated for the development of the East Coast Greenway in the GSATS region. Sections of the East Coast Greenway have been completed in unincorporated Horry County, and the entire 13 miles in the City of Myrtle Beach have been completed. Efforts are underway to connect existing sections of trail throughout the County. Chapter 8: Transportation - 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXISTING ROAD NETWORK Horry County has the largest road network of any county in South Carolina. It includes federal, state, When rezoning requests and new developments are being planned, Horry County evaluates the local, and private roads. The capacity and condition of our existing road network is influenced by capacity of the existing roadway system and those roadways within the proposed development. existing land use and growth. New public or private roadways are designed to ensure that the roadway will function as intended and will provide safe and efficient traffic movement to the public. Geometric features, such as sight ROAD CLASSIFICATION distances for stopping on horizontal and vertical curves, corner sight distances, and horizontal and Horry County maintains a total of 1,464 miles of county roads, of which 864 miles are paved and vertical curves are sized and designed in accordance with the standards published in the South 600 miles are unpaved. Additionally, the South Carolina Department of Transportation manages a Carolina Department of Transportation Highway Standards Manual or the AASHTO Manual based total of 1,338 miles of primary and secondary state roads within the County. The Federal on the roadway type that will be constructed. Government and the State maintain a total of 223 miles of U.S. Highways. (October 2017). The majority of roads within new subdivisions are conveyed to the County. Roads are typically classified MAINTENANCE by their design and average daily traffic count (ADT). Road maintenance responsibilities are depend upon the ownership of the road. SCDOT is responsible for the maintenance of State-maintained roadways. In 2017, the SC General Assembly Road Classification Guideline