Eight possible routes for a highway to the South Strand were unveiled for public comment Monday, showing for the first time how the project could affect specific areas of Horry and Georgetown counties.

The proposals show the highway originating at the junction of S.C. 22 and U.S. 501, west of Conway, and ending as far north as Carolina Bays Parkway and as far south as Murrells Inlet in Georgetown County.

Residents of the South Strand perused maps showing the proposed routes and made comments during a public exhibition in Murrells Inlet hosted Monday by the state Department of Transportation.

Four more public exhibitions are planned around Horry County this month, and the public input will be used to choose a final proposed route within about a year, according to the DOT.

For now, the highway is part of a DOT-headed environmental study and is just one possible solution for hurricane evacuation concerns along the southern coast of Horry County.

The environmental study might determine that existing roads should be improved or a new highway should not be built.

Collins Creek resident Nelson Bartlett said a new evacuation route is not necessary.

"I think the argument can be made, with the people we have down here, you could widen [S.C.] 707 ... and improve evacuation time significantly," said Bartlett, who was among a crowd that gathered to view the maps in Murrells Inlet.

Supporters of the southern highway say the South Strand is dangerously isolated and that a new evacuation route is necessary so that people would not be caught in the path of a catastrophic storm such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Bob Althoff, a resident of the Blackmoor community, said explosive growth in the area is pushing the need for an evacuation route.

"If you are ever trying to get out of here during an evacuation, it is very, very slow," Althoff said.

A southern end point is needed for the new highway, not a proposed route far to the north that connects with S.C. 31, known as the Carolina Bays Parkway, he said.

Strain on the natural environment is a main concern for many, especially environmental groups that could challenge a major highway project.

The highway, depending on which route is chosen, could destroy an estimated 358 to 501 acres of natural wetland, according to initial DOT figures.

At least one proposed route cuts through land the federal government plans to add to the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, according to the maps released by DOT.

One route would destroy an estimated 49 acres of the Bucksport Wildlife Management Area, DOT officials said Monday during a Southern Evacuation Lifeline Task Force meeting in Surfside Beach.

"The impact of this road is going to be significant," said Nancy Cave, north coast office director of the Coastal Conservation League, a statewide environmental group.

The highway could fragment lands pinpointed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for conservation and break up communities in southern Horry County, Cave said.

The estimated effects of the highway, such as wetland destruction, are likely to decrease as the DOT continues its studies of the area, DOT Project Manager Mike Barbee said.

Some wetland listed on maps might no longer exist, according to the DOT, and the estimated width of the highway, 400 feet, is likely to decrease to 300 feet or less.

"I think we will see less impact with our ground-truthing," Barbee said. "In my experience, I've never encountered any instance where it was more [environmental impact]."