Public meeting set for Thursday on Florence County road project

The S.C. Department of Transportation has scheduled a public information meeting Thursday concerning the proposed TV Road/North Irby Street widening project in Florence.

The meeting will be between 5 and 7 p.m. in the North Vista Elementary School Cafeteria, 1100 N. Irby St., Florence. The meeting will have an informal drop-in format with displays for viewing. A formal presentation won’t be given, however.

The hearing will provide an opportunity to provide information and get feedback about the proposed widening of TV Road/North Irby Street, beginning at Wilson Road and ending about 500 feet north of East Blanchard Road. SCDOT officials also will be on hand to gather information from the public or any interested organization, on historic or cultural resources in the area.

The TV Road widening is the third priority of six major road improvement projects collectively known as the Florence County Forward Project, funded through a combination of Local Option Sales Tax and State Transportation Infrastructure Bank funds.

The first of the six road projects, the widening of Pineneedles Road, is in its second phase and should be completed by the spring or summer of 2010.

The second project is the widening of U.S. 378 and the third is the widening of U.S. 76, followed by the widening of TV Road.

The two projects ranked last — the widening of of S.C. 51 (Pamplico Highway) and completion of the U.S. 301 Bypass from U.S. 76 near Timmonsville to U.S. 52, respectively — were added with the understanding that they would be funded if any money remains after the first four were completed.

The 1-cent addition to the sales tax is expected to raise $148 million to match $250 million approved by the State Infrastructure Board’s evaluation committee in July 2005.

Florence County voters approved the additional sales tax in a November 2006 referendum.

SCDOT expects construction to last two years for most of the projects.

Additional information concerning the project is available from SCDOT Program Manager Chris Gossett at (803) 737-1471. Those with disabilities who may require special accommodations should contact Karen Davis at (803) 737-1549.