SC Highway 183 getting $95 million to fund improvements, more lanes. Here's what to know.
South Carolina Highway 183 in Pickens and Greenville County is considered one of the most dangerous thoroughfares in the state.
It is busy, crowded and caters to a growing population. Local and state authorities say new funding will make the road safer.
Earlier this week, the South Carolina State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) granted $44.7 million to improve S.C. Highway 183.
The funding will aid two projects aimed at extending and widening two separate sections of the highway. Local authorities in Pickens County will shepherd a project that will widen S.C. 183 into four lanes in Pickens County. Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study will oversee another project that will fund the construction costs of improving the S.C. 153 extension to S.C. 183. The projects are expected to have a 10-year timeline.
Five-year crash data, per the S.C. Dept. of Transportation, showed the six-mile stretch of S.C. 183 in Pickens County was a site for 288 crashes, 84 injuries and seven fatalities. A traffic study also showed the highway was expected to see a 113% increase in traffic from 2010 to 2035. Meanwhile, the S.C. 153 extension saw 62 crashes and 18 injuries in the last five years.
Easley lawmaker Neal Collins said the $44.7 million funding was crucial to improve the highway as the total project is slated to cost $104.7 million, as per the SIB application.
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Local authorities and state lawmakers had been eyeing SIB funding since 2016. A previous funding application in 2018 was denied as the bank required an adequate funding match from local authorities.
"They basically told us we needed to have a better package," Collins said. "The more money the local authorities could match, the better."
To fix that issue, the Pickens County Council issued a $12.7 million bond to fund the costs of expansion in addition to a $10 million allocation in the state budget this year. Meanwhile, the Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study, which covers portions of Greenville, Pickens as well as Anderson, Laurens, and Spartanburg counties, is on track to provide $28 million.
Put together a combination of state and local government effort will bring in about $95 million to improve the highway.
"The collective effort on this was amazing," Collins continued.
Devyani Chhetri reports on SC politics for the Greenville News. Reach her via email at dchhetri@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: SC Highway 183 in Greenville, Pickens counties to get major overhaul
