Horry County updates RIDE 3 progress, lays groundwork for RIDE 4 projects
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Summary
County staff told the Transportation Committee that major RIDE 3 projects are substantially complete or under construction, reported traffic gains on recent extensions and paved about 50 miles of former dirt roads, and previewed RIDE 4 designs while noting RIDE 4 revenues are about $1.7 million under projections through November.
Horry County transportation staff on the county Transportation Committee agenda summarized progress on the RIDE (Road Improvement Development Effort) program and outlined near-term construction and funding expectations. Staff said RIDE 3 has completed dirt-road paving in earlier groups and resurfaced both municipal and county roads across the county, and that RIDE 4 design work is underway for several corridors.
The update, delivered during the committee’s meeting, said roughly 50 miles of dirt roads have been converted to paved surfaces under RIDE 3 and that municipal resurfacing accounted for about 33 miles while county resurfacing totaled about 66.87 miles. Staff highlighted recent ribbon cuttings: Palmetto Point Boulevard (November 2019), Carolina Forest Boulevard widening (May 2022) and the Fred Nash Boulevard extension, which staff said opened fully on Jan. 20. Traffic counts taken Jan. 22–25 showed average daily traffic on segments of Middle Ridge Avenue in a range staff reported as about 5,500 to 8,400 ADT, which staff said is helping divert volume from Highway 501.
Staff also described active and upcoming projects: ongoing paving of RIDE 3 Group 3 dirt roads (26.11 miles total, with 4.34 miles already paved and named roads including Hufford, New, Norris and Olin), SC-9 widening in Loris (seasonal work with a surface course expected after spring), US-701 widening and the 501 mainline realignment (construction-phase timing issued for 2026–2027 on various segments), and a 17 Business intersection project in Garden City that began construction in 2025 with an estimated 40-month duration. Forestbrook Road clearing and grubbing contracts were awarded and are expected to proceed into 2026.
On finances, staff said RIDE 3 collections stopped April 30 for that series of projects but construction and closeout work continue. They reported an historical revenue overage on RIDE 3 — described during the presentation as roughly $325–$326 million above earlier projections over the multi-year program, which staff said helped offset inflation-driven cost increases. By contrast, the RIDE 4 projection through November was running about $1.7 million below the expected revenue; staff and committee members noted RIDE programs are modeled over decades, not months, and discussed state-level funding options such as a gas-tax update to bolster long-term revenue.
The county also previewed RIDE 4 items in design, including River Acres Drive, Highway 90 in East Cox Ferry, 38th Avenue North in Myrtle Beach and the 17 Bypass / Gerson Parkway design awards, and said public meetings on the SC-22 extension environmental study are expected in early March. Staff encouraged sign-up for the county’s Future in Focus newsletter for project updates.
Committee members thanked staff, asked staff to continue tracking revenues and construction schedules, and the committee moved on to the next agenda items. The committee set its next meeting date for March 24 at 3:00 p.m., when staff said it will continue reporting on RIDE program milestones.
