EASLEY -- Franklin Finley may not lose his farm today or tomorrow, but he is resigned to the fact his home may eventually be replaced by the extension of State 153.

"It [the farm] will probably be impacted, but you know you've got to live with progress," Finley said. "You can't turn that down, and I'm not fighting that."

After more than 20 years of discussions, the extension of State 153 has been put on hold indefinitely.

The Greenville/Pickens Transportation Committee has agreed to delete the project from the committee's long-range agenda, according to state Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens County.

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"Right now, with the highway funding scarcity, we just don't have the money to put into a project like 153," Martin said. "It's a matter of where do we put what few eggs we have?"

The state Department of Transportation said the extension of State 153 was expected to ease traffic congestion in Easley by bypassing the commercial strip on U.S. 123 and creating a new route from State 153 to State 183.

This project also would have opened a more direct route from Interstate 85 to the popular lakes and mountains of Pickens and Oconee counties.

The eight-mile extension would cost $25 million to $30 million and would tie up highway funding for the next eight to 10 years, state legislators have said.

While Finley and others may be relieved to hear their homes are safe, the project still has a pulse.

"We have not necessarily said that extending 153 is a dead issue," said Rep. Phil Owens, R-Pickens County.

GPATS committee members are hoping the remaining $1.7 million from the State 153 project will be shifted over to intersection improvements on State 183.

State 183, which is predominantly a two-lane highway, sees about 10,300 cars every day from the Greenville County line to Route 162. From Route 162, State 183 sees between 4,400 to 6,200 cars each day depending on the area.

State 183 is considered one of the worst areas for accidents in Pickens County, according to the Sheriff's Office. After a conference last year with the state Highway Patrol and the coroner regarding the number of fatalities on State 183, the Sheriff's Office increased patrols on the highway.

Martin believes State 153 cannot be extended until traffic issues on State 183 are resolved.

"It's probably one of the most dangerous, heavily traveled primary roads in the Upstate," Martin said. "It is going to take a great deal of work and money to fix it, and we recognize that."

While Rep. Rex Rice, R-Easley, agrees that State 183 needs improvements, he said the extension of State 153 should not be pushed to the back burner.

"I believe that we need to look at Pickens County as a whole," said Rice. "We need to improve Highway 183; we need to four-lane it. But in addition to that, we need to build some new main corridors in Pickens County, and I believe 153 is one we ought to seriously look at."

But Rice is skeptical the State 153 project will ever be completed.