Progress continues for one major Berkeley County roadway project

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - A major roadway project that has been under construction in Berkeley County for over three years is continuing to make progress with only a little over a year left until completion.

Phase one of the widening of the U.S. Route 176 project first broke ground back in 2021. This phase of the project focuses on widening the road from U.S. Route 17-A to Nexton Parkway Extension.

This project is funded by the county’s 2014 one-cent sales tax referendum. County officials say the current contract amount for this project is about $51 million.

This roadway has raised concerns for residents in the area regarding traffic congestion and safety. However, county leaders are committed to continuing to make progress on this road that will address those concerns.

County officials say this project will expand US-176 to five lanes, with four travel lanes, two in each direction and one continuous center turn lane.

The Berkeley County engineer, Russ Cornette, said so far they have completed utility relocation, water installation, as well as the curb and gutter work in the roads right of way on one side.

With a little over a year left of construction, Cornette said there are still some projects on US-176 that need to be finished.

“Much of the storm drainage work. The left side if you’re traveling south towards 17-A that’s left to be completed. Curb and gutter and the pavement work, all of that is left to be completed,” Cornette said.

One owner of two businesses along US-176, Rebecca Qasem, said she is looking forward to the widening project being completed.

“We’re really happy when that is going to be expanded because there is going to be sidewalk access, golf cart access across the street as well with the new Sea Mist commons,” Qasem said. “We’re just really excited for the expansion and opening it up, making it safer for the community.”

Qasem said although they are excited for the expansion of US-176 she said it can be dangerous at night and wants to see more lights put in.

“We hope that they add some lighting up and down the highway. That would make it a lot safer for a lot of people because we have heard about a lot of tragedies from this road and I think if there were some state lighting added along 176 that would help that problem,” Qasem said.

The county has future plans for additional improvements along US-176. Cornette said phase two of this widening project will be from where phase one ends at Nexton Parkway and then will go all the way up to Jedburg Road. He said they are currently in the design phase of that project and that it is about a five-year process to get it ready for construction.

Cornette said there is also a phase three that will go from Jedburg Road up to Volvo Car Drive. He said they haven’t started on the process of this phase yet.

“Looking forward to everybody being able to move more freely and safer on the roadways and get where they have to be in a much more efficient way,” Cornette said.

He said that phase one is scheduled to be completed by December 2025.

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