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Berkeley County highlights $22.5M BUILD grant for US 176 and sales-tax-funded roadwork update
Summary
County officials celebrated a $22.5 million federal BUILD grant to widen US 176 and reviewed progress on sales-tax-funded resurfacing and widening projects; staff said the federal award will cover roughly 40% of the US 176 phase and support dozens of resurfacing and intersection projects.
Berkeley County officials announced the county’s award of a $22.5 million U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD grant to support Phase 2 of the US 176 widening project and reviewed the county’s 1¢ sales tax program accomplishments and upcoming projects.
Supervisor Cribb thanked staff and consultants and described the competitive federal context: "There were over 1,200 applications; 127 projects got approved," he said, adding that the BUILD funds will pay about 40% of the Phase 2 project costs. Cribb said he and Councilman Newell advocated in Washington, D.C., and credited conversations with federal lawmakers and USDOT staff as helpful to the county’s application.
Amanda Deaton, manager of the 1¢ sales tax program, provided a program update: three projects have completed construction (Henry Brown Boulevard extension Phase 1A, US 176 Phase 1 widening, and United Drive), 89 miles of roads are currently under contract for resurfacing, and a series of intersection and corridor projects are in design or right-of-way acquisition. Deaton noted the county’s local resurfacing packages for 2024 and 2025 will be completed this year and the 2026 local resurfacing package will begin construction in the weeks ahead.
Deaton also summarized other projects: Sangaree Parkway left-turn lanes under construction, multiple intersection realignments and right-of-way activities for Jedburgh Road improvement Phase 2 and other corridor work, plus several advertised bid openings for river-reach and Old Highway 52 projects. She confirmed some projects require SCDOT approval before right-of-way acquisition can proceed.
County leaders said federal grant proceeds will remain dedicated to road programs and will not be reallocated to other departments. The county thanked its internal sales-tax team and consulting partners for the grant success and asked staff to continue applying for federal and state funding opportunities.
The council approved routine motions related to contract awards and grant acceptance by voice vote.
