COLUMBIA, SC (WBTW) – Horry County and the Coastal Conservation League met Tuesday in court over the paving and widening of International Drive. The road was supposed to be paved in 2013, but a request for bear crossings stalled the project indefinitely.

In 2010, Horry County signed a contract with the Department of Natural Resources to pave International Drive. The road would be two lanes and include three bear tunnels.

However, plans changed in 2013 when the county urged DNR to sign a new contract. This time expanding the road to five lanes and eliminating bear tunnels altogether.

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project filed for a contested case hearing on behalf of the Coastal Conservation League.

During opening statements, SCELP attorney Amy Armstrong asked the judge to reverse DHEC’s certification for International Drive. Armstrong said the road shouldn’t be paved at all because it runs through the Lewis Ocean Bay Preserve, but at the very least, the road should be two lanes. Armstrong added that the speed limit for a two lane road is 35 mph, compared to 45 mph on a four lane road.

Armstrong said she plans to show the judge that bears can learn routes. She said they’ve studied the bears’ travel patterns and the animal crossings would be placed accordingly.

Horry County attorney Stan Barnett argued that DNR and DHEC wouldn’t have consented to the project if it didn’t meet the requirements. He said studies show most bear collisions happen on roads with speed limits of 55-60 mph. According to Barnett, the 2009 wildfire destroyed much of the food source in Lewis Ocean Bay and the bears left. He plans to prove that bear tunnels aren’t effective and aren’t worth the $3 million investment.

Horry County Chairman Mark Lazarus attended the hearing. Lazarus says International Drive is necessary to improve public safety and he’s anxious for the project to move forward.

“It is all about public safety,” stated Lazarus. “We had a flood and two ends of Highway 90 were closed off. If that road had been opened, that would’ve been their means to get out. It was tough for us to get EMS and others in that area.”

The hearing is scheduled to last three days, but court officials say it could last longer.