State and local leaders should think long-term as they debate the future of U.S. 17 between Beaufort and Charleston.

By considering how that road should look in 20 or 50 years, the proposal for 100-foot natural buffers along portions of it makes sense.

The deadly 22-mile stretch of U.S. 17 between Gardens Corner and Jacksonboro needs to be widened because it is unsafe. It is a heavily traveled artery that serves as a primary link from the ports in Charleston to Interstate 95. Since 1997, 33 people have been killed in that stretch of highway that is now a combination of two and three lanes. For that reason, the state Department of Transportation and others have worked with a renewed sense of urgency to widen the road to a safer four lanes. They have plans that would cost $150 million to $200 million, and even a proposal to scrape together the money, but the cost of the buffers is not included.

We can't blame state Rep. Catherine Ceips, R-Beaufort, and others for saying the top concern is safety, not aesthetics.

But every effort should be made to have both.

U.S. 17 is a historic coastal highway that dates to a time when President George Washington's coach rolled over its path during his historic tour of the South. And it slices through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world, literally taking the driver through old rice fields and riverside marshes that sway to the horizon.

It rolls beneath majestic oaks draped in moss. It has become a part of the ACE Basin, one of the largest undeveloped estuary systems on the East Coast. Named for the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers, all of which flow beneath bridges on U.S. 17, the ACE Basin is a 135,000-acre conservation marvel. It stands out worldwide as a great example of mankind being responsible for his natural surroundings.

U.S. 17 also taps into the rare cultural legacy of a region now gaining more recognition for its impact on American history. Key characters in the American Revolution, the Civil War and Reconstruction were regular travelers along what is now U.S. 17. And it rambles through the heart of South Carolina's Gullah culture, now seen as a national treasure that needs to be preserved.

We see the highway as this region's "Skyline Drive," the 105-mile scenic road that affords the public a chance to appreciate the Blue Ridge Mountains.

So there is more to the suggestion that the widened U.S. 17 have buffers than to say it is unreasonable environmentalists vs. safety. It is a suggestion to enhance and preserve a part of the local culture that is an economic draw.

The pricetag is not the only issue because local counties want a say in the land-use issues. But the additional $5 million to $8 million the buffers would cost could pay long-term dividends. Perhaps that sum could be raised privately in that it will be hard to find enough public dollars do to the project, even without the buffers.