Background

As addressed in South Carolina Department of Transportation’s (SCDOT) Environmental Assessment for the US 17 ACE Basin Widening Project, the purpose of this project is to improve safety “while preserving community values and protecting the natural and scenic environment of the ACE Basin.”

US 17 (the Ocean Highway) is a part of our country’s National Highway System and the Strategic Highway Network for Defense Preparedness. Formed in 1926, US 17 extends for 1189 miles along the southeast coast from Winchester, Virginia (where the Northwest Turnpike begins) to Punta Gorda, Florida.

In the State of South Carolina, US Route 17 provides a direct route between the coastal cities of Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Beaufort. Of its 211 miles in the state, 173 miles have been upgraded to a multi-lane highway, primarily 4 lanes separated by a grass median. The widening of US 17 Ace Basin Segment 1 is upgrading approximately six miles of US 17 in Beaufort County between the Combahee River and Gardens Corner, SC.

Background

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Prior to this widening project, US 17 ACE Basin between Gardens Corner and Jacksonboro was recognized as one of the nation’s most deadly highways in a 2005 assessment. Sadly, 33 fatalities occurred on this section of the two-lane road between the years of 1997 and February 2005.

Some of these deaths have been marked by friends and families with white crosses within the Right of Way along the roadway. Widening plans for US 17 ACE Basin Segment 1 include the construction of safer, wider shoulders and embankments along either side of the roadway.

If you have information or questions about these memorials, please contact Chris Hernandez, SCDOT Project Manager at (888) 692-9986 or through this site’s contact page.
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Project Updates
March 2008
February 2008