A month-long cleanup project will continue to delay drivers using SC-544 in Horry County, according to the State Department of Transportation.
Shannon Welch, SCDOT Resident Maintenance Engineer for Horry County, tells News13 crews are working to clean curbs, gutters and sidewalks along the busy road.
“Sand, gravel, debris, pine straw – whatever it may be, over time, it collects. It doesn’t look nice and presentable,” he said.
Welch says community complaints and comments fueled the project; however, he says it wasn’t always the state’s responsibility to put crews on the road to clean it up.
“We haven’t had a sweeping contract probably the past two years or three,” he explained. “So we’re having to do it in-house, so it’s not done as much as it would be in a sweeping contract.”
Welch says the state is currently putting together a new sweeping contract it hopes to begin in July. Right now, Welch says he has had to pull crews normally used for other road projects – like filling potholes – to complete the work on SC-544.
“It’s kind of give and take,” he said. “So if you do one thing, you’re missing out on something else. You try to just pick and prioritize the best we can with what we have to work with.”
This week alone, SCDOT’s website says more than 180,000 drivers used SC-544. Work will resume Monday, and Welch says drivers can expect slowdowns and temporary lane closures on SC-544 between Dick Pond Road and Highway 814. Welch says crews will them head towards US-17.
“They’re trying to make it look good and look presentable and safer for the traveling public,” he said. “Just be cautious and aware.”
Welch says he expects work to be complete well-before Memorial Day Weekend.
