South Carolina Highway 22 | ||||
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Conway Bypass Veterans Highway |
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by SCDOT | ||||
Length: | 28.2 mi (45.4 km) | |||
Existed: | 2001 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end: | US 501 near Aynor | |||
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East end: | US 17 near Briarcliffe Acres | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | Horry | |||
Highway system | ||||
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South Carolina Highway 22 (SC 22), also known as the Conway Bypass and Veterans Highway, is a four lane freeway that connects US 501 north of Conway, South Carolina to US 17 in Myrtle Beach. The road was opened to traffic on May 4, 2001, six months ahead of schedule. There is speculation that it could become part of Interstate 73 in the future. The road largely meets Interstate Highway standards, but in order to support increased Interstate traffic, its shoulders would need to be expanded to standard width.
In 1994, the original contract with Fluor Daniel called for six lanes from US 17 to SC 905 and four lanes the rest of the way to US 501. This money depended on a one-cent sales tax devoted to road funding, but voters turned that down.
A bridge was built over the Intracoastal Waterway near Briarcliffe Acres, but it remained the "Bridge to Nowhere" for three years because there was no money to build the road. In February 1999, the South Carolina Senate passed a bill naming the bridge for Billy Alford, state highway commissioner from 1990 to 1994 and commission chair in 1993.