Roads
Work begins on last link in bike path
Slabs of concrete from a 40-year-old sidewalk that hadn’t already crumbled yielded to the jaws of a backhoe as workers began clearing the way this week for a long-awaited extension of the Bike the Neck path down Waverly Road. The 1.3 mile section from Waccamaw Elementary School to Highway 17 will complete the route from the Horry County line in Murrells Inlet to the South Causeway at Pawleys Island.
The 4-foot-wide sidewalk will be replaced with a 10-foot-wide path that can accommodate bikes and pedestrians.
“I’m pleased beyond belief that they have started this,” said Gene Turner, a River Club resident who has pressed the county to complete the project.
Although bikes can use the sidewalk, Turner said he stopped using it because it was in such poor condition.
“I can get past the school, but it killed my back,” he said.
The route has been the top priority since Georgetown County adopted a master plan for bike paths in 2017. It was funded in 2020, but delays in permitting and design followed. The county also needed easements in order to do some of the drainage work that is part of the project.
The county still hopes to acquire one last easement, said Ray Funnye, the county director of Public Services.
“Is it a game changer? No, it’s not,” he said. “There’s a work-around, but it’s not our first choice.”
The county approved a $2.7 million bid from Green Wave Contracting for the project last October. That was $1.25 million more than the original estimate.
The county funded the original amount with surplus from a capital projects sales tax that was discontinued in 2019. The overrun will be paid for with money budgeted for stormwater drainage.
It was drainage work that drove up the price of the project, Funnye said.
“Because of the configuration of the right of way and the existing utilities, we have to pipe quire a few areas,” he said.
The work will take nine to 12 months to complete, Funnye said.
The county expects to start another project this fall along the bike path at the south end of Murrells Inlet. A parking area is planned on the west side of Business 17 across from the bike bridge along the inlet.
The state Department of Transportation posted No Parking signs in the area in October 2020, citing safety concerns.
Last year, the state budget included $325,000 for a parking area with 13 spaces. When bids were received this spring, the lowest price was $454,773.
State Rep. Lee Hewitt requested an additional $190,000 in the current budget for the project. A conference committee resumed meetings to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the budget on Wednesday.
If the extra funding stays in the budget, Funnye said work on the parking area could start this fall.
