The state Highway Patrol will step up enforcement
on U.S. Highway 17 between Beaufort and Charleston, a deadly stretch that
has seen a rash of traffic accidents during the past several weeks.
Gov. Mark Sanford was expected in Yemassee on Monday to announce the
details of the state's response at the Gardens Corner Store, which is
located along the busy road.
The 22-mile stretch of highway in Colleton and Beaufort counties varies
between two and four lanes and has been the scene of a series of serious
accidents, including a two-vehicle crash Tuesday that killed a Beaufort
County woman and injured a Beaufort man.
More than 448 people have been injured since 2001 along the road
between Jacksonboro and Gardens Corner.
Sanford hopes to call attention to the beefed-up enforcement, which
could help slow traffic as much as the Highway Patrol's additional
enforcement. "There's usually a positive result when that occurs," Sanford
spokesman Chris Drummond said.
State officials are looking at widening the road, but the project
hasn't been permitted.
The Transportation Department is seeking a permit from the Army Corps
of Engineers to widen the Combahee River bridge to four lanes, and if the
Corps approves, that $9.5 million project could begin by December.
The state plans to seek further environmental permits for the widening
project by January, allowing construction to begin in 2007 if the state
can find the $100 million to $200 million that it's expected to cost.
On Tuesday, Bill Williams watched as the driver of a car in front of
him on the highway died instantly in a head-on collision. He said he is
encouraged to learn the state is reacting.
"I hope and pray that they will get something accomplished and work out
some near-term solution," Williams said. "It will probably take two or
three years for them to build a (wider) highway, but they need to do
something to help right now."
The governor isn't the only official looking into what can be done to
improve safety on the highway.
The Charleston County legislative delegation's Roads and Bridges
Committee also plans to discuss U.S. 17 when it meets July 25.