Coastal Carolina University offers first look at planned $12M Highway 544 overpass; state, federal funding in hand

CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — Coastal Carolina University has pulled in $10 million worth of federal and state funding to help finance a walkway over Highway 544 — a project that school officials have spent years trying to complete.

CCU President Michael Benson announced on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday that the money is hand. A more detailed construction timeline is being developed, he said.

Every day, 50,000 vehicles travel the route — one of the busiest in Horry County — putting them in close contact with CCU students who walk to campus.

CCU plans to use $5 million from a countywide penny sales tax to complete the work.

CCU began exploring the idea of a pedestrian walkway in October 2016 — weeks after 19-year-old Ryan Bielawa was hit and killed by a drunken driver as he crossed the highway.

“I’ve been in other places where pedestrian pedways work, so this is a priority and we’re going to find a way to fund it,” CCU President Michael Benson told a state House Ways and Means subcommittee during a Jan. 24 meeting in Columbia.

“Although there is a signalized intersection with a pedestrian crossing at Founders Drive, many students elect to cross the congested roadway in areas with no accommodations for safety,” CCU officials wrote in its Jan. 24 presentation.

“Unfortunately, as traffic continues on 544, if you’re familiar with our campus, it’s very scary for our students,” said Alan West, CCU’s finance chief. “We’re really trying to make sure this is a priority for us, that we can have a safe passage for them.”

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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