BEAUFORT, S.C. - Widening a dangerous stretch of U.S. 17 in the Lowcountry will have to overcome several hurdles.

Since 1997, at least 33 people have died along the mostly two-lane stretch of highway from northern Beaufort County through Colleton County to the bridge over the Edisto River.

A string of accidents from June 23 to 25 left four dead and at least eight injured and brought renewed attention to widening the road that connects Charleston to Beaufort and Interstate 95.

But calls for studies and task forces aren't what Fire Chief Buddy Jones wants to hear after 16 years of working wrecks along U.S. 17.

"They've studied it enough. They need to get the funds and fix the road," Jones said.

South Carolina has paid more than $8 million for studies on widening the highway with most of that work expected to be finished by January.

Now the state has to find the money to actually widen the road. The $110 million price tag usually mentioned is based on a standard Transportation Department estimate that it takes $5 million to widen one mile of highway.

But the 22 miles U.S. 17 run through the ACE basin, an area drained by three rivers that includes a number of wildlife preserves and easements. Working around that sensitive land could drive up the cost of widening the road.

State Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head Island, wants to gets bonds on $36 million set aside for larger capital projects. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., is trying to get $68 million out of a $286 billion federal highway bill.

Engineers plan to get both state and federal permits so the widening can begin as soon as the money is there.

One small part of the project is scheduled to begin early next year. The state has set aside $9.5 million to replace the bridge over the Combahee River. The bridge will be wide enough for four lanes, but will only be opened to two lanes of traffic until the surrounding highway is widened, said Wilson Elgin, project manager for the state Transportation Department.

In the meantime, workers will make some temporary safety improvements. Rumble strips will be installed so drivers know when they cross the centerline. Transportation officials are considering lowering the 55 mph speed limit. And engineers are considering improvements on two intersections, Elgin said.

All the attention on U.S. 17 is good for now, but Rep. Catherine Ceips, R-Beaufort, worries when the most recent deaths fade from memory, the push to make the road safer will fade.

"Unless there's an accident out there people forget about it," Ceips said.

Accidents occur on average every four days on the rural highway. Another crash Tuesday morning killed a Yemassee woman and injured a Georgia man. Lashawnda Lee Fields, 24, became the sixth person to die on U.S. 17 this year when she lost control of her vehicle while trying to avoid a tractor trailer and crashed into another car, the state Highway Patrol said.