CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Part of a project to widen a large portion of U.S. Highway 501 is being delayed.

A state department of transportation spokesperson says the widening on U.S. 501 between South Carolina Highway 544 and Gardner Lacy Road won’t start until early 2022. It was originally scheduled to start late next year. The SCDOT says it wants to get traffic counts during the summer to make U.S. 501 more efficient for traffic during the peak travel season.

The project would make U.S. 501 into six lanes from SC 544 to South Carolina Highway 31. Phase one of the widening on U.S. 501 southbound from Gardner Lacy Road to SC 31 is still scheduled to begin next spring.

The $41 million RIDE III project is expected to be finished by fall of 2024.