Bucksport road lifting project worked ‘just as planned’ to hold off floodwaters, Horry County official says

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A road elevation project implemented last week in a bid to keep floodwaters from damaging the Bucksport community went “just as planned,” although closures remain in place.

Horry County spokeswoman Mikayla Moscov told News13 on Monday that efforts to raise Big Bull Landing Road were successful but “crews continue to monitor flood-prone areas around the county.”

Officials last week said crews did in three days what would normally take three months to get ready for the high water, installing a 15-foot-tall border using 750 loads of dirt. It’s the first time they’ve tried this engineering tactic.

It’s designed to increase the road elevation to act as a barrier to prevent flood waters from backing up Cowford Swamp and its tributary.

County leaders said they have worked on the project since 2019, but concerns from environmental groups slowed their progress. Longtime resident Kevin Mishon raised concerns about the latest effort being a band-aid.

“Can we fix it now, being that we’re in a situation where we don’t have a Florence level, but when will we?” Mishon said. “Are we going to be ready for that?”

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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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