BEAUFORT -- South Carolina's Highway Commission will meet high atop the new Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston on Friday to receive plans for rumble strips and reflectors on U.S. 17. Members also will hear recommendations on whether to lower the speed limit through Beaufort County's portion of the dangerous road.

The narrow, 22-mile stretch of U.S. 17 from Gardens Corner to Jacksonboro in Colleton County has been the site of 33 deaths since 1997. The most severe crashes occurred on the six miles through Beaufort County, including a June 23 wreck in which four people died and a March 2004 Navy bus crash that killed three sailors.

On Monday, Gov. Mark Sanford announced increased enforcement efforts by the state Highway Patrol on the roadway, which will include six dedicated officers over the next three weeks. Enforcement will increase or decrease based on the results of the three-week campaign.

Tony Shepard, acting deputy traffic engineer for the state Department of Transportation, said no timeline has been determined for the road improvements. But the work probably will be added to an existing construction contract in the region so that it's completed over the next few months.

A proposal to reduce the speed limit, which ranges between 45 mph and 55 mph, and eliminating passing zones are two suggestions proposed for the Beaufort County stretch.

John Hardee, who represents Beaufort on the Highway Commission, said he supports all of the proposed safety measures, including lowering the speed limit. He expects a decision Friday, when results of a state study are announced.

"We need to get these done as soon as possible," he said.

The measures were put on a fast track after the July 5 death of 24-year-old LaShawnda Fields of Big Estate. Cecil West, 57, of Beaufort was injured in the collision and was in critical condition Wednesday at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, according to hospital officials.

State and county officials also are discussing a proposed widening of U.S. 17, but costs on that project could climb to $200 million with no specific funding source in sight.

Legislators from Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton and Charleston counties who have dedicated themselves to finding a funding solution to the highway's problems are expected to meet July 25 in Charleston. They will receive a progress report on environmental studies to be completed in November and permitting set to begin early next year.

"Let's clear the air and find out where we are on the project," said state Rep. Catherine Ceips, R-Beaufort.

Also Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers announced it is requesting comments through July 25 regarding more than 2 acres of wetlands that will be impacted in widening the Combahee River Bridge and a portion of the causeway. The project to replace the bridge is expected to cost $9.5 million.

Paid for with federal bridge-replacement funds, the work is expected to begin early next year. It will include replacing the standing structure with a bridge wide enough to accommodate four lanes when neighboring portions of the highway are widened.

To comment on the bridge replacement, contact the corps at 69A Hagood Ave., Charleston, SC 29403-5107; or the state Department of Health and Environmental Control's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, 1362 McMillan Ave., Suite 400, Charleston, SC 29405.