NORTH LITCHFIELD, SC (WBTW) – The next phase in a Georgetown County project has been seeking approval for eight years, and this year the county and one advocacy group aren’t giving up on a pathway crucial to future projects.
“People come out of this serene lush ride and have to turn onto a community street and share with cars,” Linda Ketron, Chair of Bike the Neck said.
The sixteen mile ‘Bike the Neck’ path stretches from the county line in Murrells Inlet down to South Causeway in Pawleys Island, leaving a pivitoal location in the North Litchfield community right presenting a standstill.
“Lakeshore Drive is not a street that should have bikes on. Too many driveways, too many people in the summer are unaware of the bike path is there,” Richard Heusel, Litchfield resident said.
An advocacy group has had a front-row seat in the ongoing project that started in 1994 and did not want to see walkers and bikers share this road any longer.
“One of the most difficult things was the easements from property owners for the bike path to go through private property,” James Coley, a Project Engineer in Georgetown County.
Guaranteed safety is not the only thing that’s been taken away. One hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars allocated by the community was wiped out due to a lack of resources and time.
“That was discouraging because had it gone through then it would have been a lot less expensive and less burdensome on the county,” Heusel said.
The $300,000 project would cost the county nearly double today than if the project was approved back in 2008 at $144,000. All easements and permits in hand today are in signed and in hand as the community hopeful, already planning their next steps.
“we are looking at a very ambitious and exciting project called build. We plan to take bike the neck all the way to the georgetown bridges,” Ketron tells News13.
Safety connector grants will be turned in this week and awarded in april if approved. Construction timeline around 90 days. The Georgetown Council will apply for a ‘BUILD’ grant next year to connect the Waccamaw neck and Georgetown.
