CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — A yearslong push by Coastal Carolina University to build a $12 million pedestrian walkway over Highway 544 has the support of key state lawmakers, but it remains unclear whether money for the project will follow.
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.
The school is asking for $7.5 million in one-time money from the state budget to match an expected $5 million from a countywide penny sales tax to complete the work.
“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 House Ways and Means subcommittee during a Jan. 24 meeting in Columbia.
Benson said CCU’s request from the state could drop by $5 million depending on federal funding included in a continuing budget resolution.
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.