South Carolina DOT seeks public comment on potential expansion of East Coast Greenway trails

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — The South Carolina Department of Transportation is asking for public feedback about the potential expansion of the East Coast Greenway trail, a 3,000-mile-long trail that runs from Maine into the Carolinas and south to the Florida Keys.

Parts of the trail run off roadways, but most of it runs along major roads. The East Coast Greenway Alliance wants to expand and create safer environments for walkers and bicyclists.

“One of the great things about greenways is they are where people are and live,” Jim Hemphill, South Carolina and Georgia manager with the alliance said. “So they connect folks to all those different places.”

In 2016, the East Coast Greenway Alliance said Myrtle Beach was the first city along the coast to finish the trail. The trail connects cities and communities across the coast and offers an alternative to transportation and benefits those looking to get outdoors.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is acting as the project manager and will apply for a federal grant to use for research, public meetings and design concepts. SCDOT said the price tag to look into the feasibility is about $3.5 million. Hemphill said the grant is called the “ Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program .”

Hemphill said 256 miles of the trail run across South Carolina and about 60 of those are off roadways.

“SCDOT’s No. 1 mission is moving people around safely, and so I think they recognize the safety value in all of this,” Hemphill said.

Hemphill said about 30% of the trails along the entire coast are off roadways, so there’s more work to be done. He said this is just the first phase in a multiyear process.

“And work with folks living in communities along the route to envision, what would a complete route look like in our community?” Hemphill said.

Once SCDOT applies for the grant, Hemphill said it’s a waiting game. If the grant is awarded, then officials will begin the process and will need more funds down the line to actually begin construction.

Lauren Campbell, who was visiting the area from Charlotte, North Carolina, said she frequently uses the greenway when she’s in town. She said she’s excited about the potential expansion and creating safer biking trails.

“Even just to get here, we have to ride on some neighborhood streets, but there’s a lot of cars and sometimes people are paying attention, sometimes they’re not,” Campbell said. “So again, once we get to this trail you can sort of takeoff and just enjoy.”

SCDOT said its accepting public comment by mail or email through Aug. 8.

* * *

Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook , and X, formerly Twitter . You can also read more of her work, here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.