Mar 07 2006

Graham Announces $652,000 for South Carolina’s Scenic Byways

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced the South Carolina Department of Transportation will receive more than $652,000 for five projects across the state. Bohicket Scenic Highway- $34,760 Bohicket Scenic Highway (S-20) is located on Johns Island from S.C. 700 Southerly to the end of the road located near Kiawah Island. This project will provide funding to develop the Bohicket Road Corridor Management Plan. The plan will detail a number of ways to promote, develop, and protect the Bohicket Road Scenic Highway. The plan will inventory the historic, recreational, cultural, archeological and natural resources along the road in addition to addressing the ways in which nearby communities may wish to promote tourism and/or economic development. Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway- $493,672 The Greenville County project (intersection of U.S. 25 and S.C. 11) will fund the restoration of the Blythe-Goodwin-Hagood House for use as a welcome center and museum. The 220-year old home was an important way station for travelers. An adjacent building was also used as a provisioning stop and among the earliest post offices in the region. This National Register property has been unoccupied since 1985 and is threatened by neglect and approaching commercial development. The Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway Association, in partnership with Greenville County, has obtained a $200,000 grant from the state of South Carolina to acquire the property. Scenic Byway funds will be used to restore and adapt the property for the benefit of the traveling public. Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway-$25,000 This Pickens County project is located between the intersections of S.C. 8 and S.C. 178. The project will establish a second scenic pullout or small parking area for visitors wishing to stop and admire Table Rock. The funds will be used obtain the necessary right-of-way encroachment permits, construction costs, and description signage. Edisto Scenic Highway 174- $57,472 This project begins at the McKinley Washington Bridge in Charleston County, continues through Edisto Island into Colleton County, and ends at the Atlantic Ocean. This project will develop a Corridor Management Plan (CMP) for the State designated Edisto Scenic Highway 174. CMPs are the central tool used by byway leaders to organize activities, investments, and planning goals for the communities and partners supporting the byway. The roadway is within the ACE Basin USFWS Wildlife Refuge target area and adjacent to the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve. It is the major road access to the ACE Basin Interpretive Center and to Edisto Beach. The Edisto Island Open Land Trust (project manager) will partner with nearby Clemson University in the development of the CMP and will organize and work with all stakeholders in the community to achieve the goal of maintaining the intrinsic qualities of Edisto Scenic Highway 174. Beaufort County Scenic Highways Project- $41,200 This project is located in Beaufort County along S.C. 170 south of Edward Burton Rodgers to U.S. 278. The project will develop a CMP to unite 8 separate scenic highway segments into one system, to be conserved, enhanced and marketed to benefit both residents and visitors. They are located almost contiguously near environmental and historic resources in areas that have experienced major growth and change during the past decade. ####