Red light for HC road project

The Department of Natural Resources is taking on the Horry County Council, in the project of paving the rest of International Drive.
Highway 90 is just one way to access International Drive. It's a long, sandy stretch and driveable for the most part, until you get about halfway in. That's where the road can drop as low as 3 feet or deeper in spots. Power, sewer and water lines are already in place, however, it borders protected wetlands inside the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve.
"The key thing we want to do is work this out now amongst ourselves, we don't want to have to go to court or pursue any kind of legal action, "Horry County Councilman Bob Grabowski said.
Councilman Grabowski said he respects the DNR's need for conservation, but wants to move forward with this project.
DNR Chief Counsel Buford Mabry said land inside this preserve cannot be sold or built on because there are issues over black bears and an endangered species of woodpecker.
Council Chair Liz Gilland said International Drive will go somewhere. She proposes building a new road through private land adjacent to the now dirt road, with a 100 yard buffer in between to protect the fragile ecosystems.
The gates on either end of International Drive are open now. They had been closed off-and-on, to prevent things like illegal dumping from taking place. "If that road was paved that wouldn't happen. It's a dirt road, not well-travelled, people go out there and dump things, " Councilman Grabowski said.
Grabowski said dumping has been minimal, but building a new road is vastly more expensive than paving the old dirt one. Matching funds from the state could widen it to four lanes creating an evacuation route.
Lawyers for Horry County and the DNR meet in January to hopefully find a way to work this whole thing out.