Greenwood County awarded $38 million for highway 246 widening project
September 11, 2022
Greenwood County was awarded $38 million from the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank for the widening of S.C. Highway 246 South. In a meeting yesterday, State Transportation Infrastructure Bank members voted unanimously to approve Greenwood County’s grant application for the Highway 246 widening project.
This planned widening is a part of the Capital Project Sales Tax (CPST) program that Greenwood County voters approved in 2016 designating $12 million CPST funds for the expansion. To date, approximately $6 million has been received and designated for pre-construction costs, including design.
“This is wonderful news for Greenwood County,” Rob Russian, Greenwood County Public Works director, said. “This will translate into real gains for the entire community as it will ensure that Highway 246 will continue to be viable as an economic development corridor.”
The expansion project involves widening four miles of Highway 246 South from Highway 221 in Coronaca to Highway 702. This stretch of highway is an important corridor for many of Greenwood County’s industrial partners including Teijin, Ascend Performance Materials, Lonza, Fujifilm and Velux.
“I can’t thank the voters of Greenwood County enough for the role they played in today’s announcement,” Josh Skinner, Greenwood County CPST coordinator, said. “As a result of their foresight we were able to leverage the $12 million allotment from the CPST funds into $50 million to accomplish this important project.”
“This investment in our community is an incredible blessing,” Greenwood County Council Chairman Chuck Moates, said. “And it would not have been possible if it hadn’t been for the hard work of Josh Skinner, Rob Russian and Rett Templeton, county engineer. These men have done an incredible job leading this project and this $38 million award is a true testament to their commitment to Greenwood County, our taxpayers, and our future.”
An agreement with South Carolina Department of Transportation has already been signed to manage the project. Design is expected to be underway before the end of the year and construction is expected to begin in 2025 with a 2027 completion date.
