County urges state transportation commissioners to factor in hurricane escape routes when deciding who gets money

BLUFFTON -- Building roads that would speed up hurricane evacuations has long been a concern in Beaufort County and other coastal areas, but it hasn't been as high a priority for transportation officials in Columbia who control the funding.

That may have changed Thursday after a meeting among County Council members and the state's Department of Transportation commission. That, at least, is what county officials hope.

Commission members said during the meeting that evacuations were not at the top of the priority list used in funding roads. But after County Council Chairman Weston Newton made an impassioned plea for more funding, the commission indicated it would rethink its criteria.

"God forbid we have ... a Katrina situation here in this part of South Carolina," Newton said. "Quite simply, today, with the infrastructure we have, we cannot get people out of harm's way.

"These improvements are not luxuries."

Here are two projects the county wants help with to speed up evacuations:

•A new, 1.5 mile-road between U.S. 278 and U.S. 321 in Jasper County that would reduce evacuation time for those leaving southern Beaufort County by five hours.

•Extending Bluffton Parkway to Interstate 95 in Jasper County. The extension would serve as an alternative to U.S. 278.

The commissioners sympathized with Newton and applauded the county for "helping itself." Area commissioner Henry Taylor, agency secretary Buck Limehouse and other commissioners praised the county's penny sales tax to pay for new local roads. He called the county a model for other areas when it comes to meeting its own transportation needs.

Commission chairman Hugh Atkins of Spartanburg, who represents parts of the Upstate, said after the meeting that the group's "mission is to be sure that hurricane evacuations are included in our criteria."

State transportation engineers rely on nine criteria ranging from whether a road project eases congestion to its environmental impact when looking at local transportation proposals.

According to Ron Patton, the DOT's director of planning and environmental, engineers already consider hurricane evacuation when prioritizing state road projects since evacuations fall under public safety. But he said the commission has the power to give hurricane evacuation greater weight.

Newton said having face-to-face contact with the commissioners made a difference.

"The simple fact that we were able to get as much time with them as we did was huge," Newton said. "Keeping good contacts and good relationships with the commissioners does pay dividends."