Carolina-Bays-Parkway
Carolina-Bays-Parkway
This webpage is intended to provide information on the Carolina Bays Parkway Extension project
and to gather public input on the information presented.
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For additional information, history, highlights and other details, please visit the NCDOT main webpage:
NCDOT: Carolina Bays Parkway Extension (https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/carolina-bays-parkway/Pages/default.aspx)
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This project is listed as Project R-5876 in NCDOT's State Transportation Improvement Program
and as Project P029554 in SCDOT's State Transportation Improvement Program.
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The N.C. Department of Transportation and the S.C. Department of Transportation plan to extend Carolina Bays Parkway (S.C. 31) from S.C. 9 in Horry County, S.C., across the North Carolina state line to U.S. 17 in Brunswick County. The project is expected to involve construction of a multi-lane expressway and may involve both existing roadways and areas on new location.
- SCDOT State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) Project P029554 would extend Carolina Bays Parkway from its current terminus at S.C. 9 in Horry County to the North Carolina state line.
- NCDOT STIP Project R-5876 would extend Carolina Bays Parkway from the state line to U.S. 17 Shallotte Bypass in Brunswick County.
Carolina Bays Parkway Extension is anticipated to involve the construction of a multilane, full control of access freeway, with part on new location. Full control of access means that access to Carolina Bays Parkway will only be provided via ramps and interchanges. Bridges will be installed at some cross streets and no driveway connections will be allowed.
Project Purpose
The primary purpose of the project is to improve the transportation network in the study area by enhancing mobility and connectivity for traffic moving in and through the project area.
Mobility refers to the movement of people or goods. Potential measures of performance for evaluating an improvement in mobility in the project area include travel time, travel speed and level of service (LOS). LOS measures a driver’s experience on the road, based on the speed and number of cars using the road. The LOS of a road is designated by a letter grade of A (free flow) to F (near gridlock).
- SCDOT has established a LOS goal of C for their state roads
NCDOT has established a LOS goal of D for system level planning analysis
Connectivity refers to the density of connections in road networks and the directness of links. Potential measures of performance for evaluating improvements in connectivity are reduced travel times and enhanced route options for travelers, service providers, and the transport of goods.
Many intersections and roadway segments in the study area are expected to either approach or exceed the roadway capacity limits in 2045, the planning horizon year. Transportation projects like Carolina Bays Parkway Extension are typically planned with long-term horizons to ensure they can adequately address future traffic demands and regional growth. The population within Horry and Brunswick counties has steadily increased, and is expected to continue to increase, along with the number of tourists to the area. Growth in population, tourism, and supporting services has resulted in an increase in mixed-purpose traffic on area roads.
Carolina Bays Parkway Extension Study Area
The Carolina Bays Parkway Extension project area consists mostly of unincorporated areas in Horry and Brunswick counties but also includes portions of some coastal towns and communities located on the inland side of the Intracoastal Waterway.
A study area is a geographical area in which information on human and natural environmental features are gathered during the preliminary planning phase. The Carolina Bays Parkway Extension study area boundary was established with consideration given to the ability to develop a full range of alternatives while minimizing potential impacts to important environmental features. The project study area is approximately 19 miles long, with about five miles located in South Carolina and 14 miles located in North Carolina.
With the selection of Detailed Study Alternatives, comprehensive field studies were completed within 1,000-foot wide corridors. Outlined in red in the map below, the study area is much larger than the actual amount of land that would be directly impacted by the project and is subject to change as more information about the project is collected.
Watch this video overview of the project.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
The purpose of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is to promote informed decision-making by federal agencies by making "detailed information concerning significant environmental impacts" available to both agency leaders and the public. NEPA was the first piece of legislation that created a comprehensive method to assess potential and existing environmental risks at once. It also encourages communication and cooperation between all parties involved in environmental decisions, including government officials, private businesses, and citizens.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Caroling Bays Parkway Extension project is now available for review and comment. This is a large document and has therefore been broken into sections for easier viewing or downloading.
Clicking on the links will open the Document or Appendix in a new window for viewing or downloadng.
The opportunity to provide comment on each is provided below the table.
Preferred Alternative
The project team, comprised of federal, state and local transportation, environmental resource, and permitting agency representatives, met in the Spring of 2020 to evaluate the preliminary corridor concepts and discuss which corridors should be carried forward for more detailed study. Five of the nine preliminary corridor concepts, and two new alternatives based on public input, were identified for further study.
These seven Detailed Study Alternatives are shown on the aerial photograph image below. The Detailed Study Alternatives may be viewed individually by clicking on the alternative map links below.
Each of the seven Detailed Study Alternatives begins at the existing Carolina Bays Parkway/S.C. 9 interchange in South Carolina and ends at the U.S. 17 Shallotte Bypass in North Carolina. The location of the tie-in to existing U.S. 17 varies by alternative.
Although all of the Detailed Study Alternatives are still under consideration, Alternative 4 has been identified by both the SCDOT and the NCDOT as those agencies’ preferred alternative. A final decision on the alternative selection will not be made until comments received on the DEIS and at the corridor public hearing have been fully evaluated. Following the public hearings and close of the public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (the Environmental Document for the project) in October, all comments received from the public and project stakeholders will be collected and reviewed. NCDOT, SCDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will coordinate with local, state and federal agencies to reach consensus on selection of the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA) also known as the Selected Alternative.
The links below will open each alternative's maps in a pop-up window for review or downloading. Please review the maps and provide any comments you may have on the alternatives. (once you complete comments, clicking the x in the upper right corner of the popup will close the pop-up) The Key Map shows how the alternatives relate to each other.
Note: Each Alternative has 3 maps.
COST ESTIMATE
| Jurisdiction | Estimated Cost* |
| North Carolina | $ 610.9 million |
| South Carolina | $ 186.1 million |
| Total Cost | $ 797.0 million |
* Estimated costs subject to change
The SCDOT 2024-2033 State Transportation Improvement Program includes funding utilizing Horry County RIDE III Sales Tax Funding for the purchase of property for the extension of Carolina Bays Parkway from S.C. 9 to the North Carolina state line beginning in 2027.
The NCDOT 2026-2033 State Transportation Improvement Program includes funding for planning and environmental studies only. The project is currently not funded for right-of-way acquisition or construction.
For additional information on this project
please visit the NCDOT website:
RESOURCES FOR PROPERTY OWNERS
Although the N.C. Department of Transportation works to minimize the number of homes and businesses displaced by a road project, it is inevitable, in many cases, that a certain amount of private property is needed. The following information explains right of way acquisition and answers questions about the process.
Right-of-Way Brochure Single Page Layout Folleto del Proceso de Adquisición de Bienes Raíces
Right-of-Way Frequently Asked Questions
Right of way Acquisition Process Videos
North Carolina Public Hearing - Carolina Bays Parkway Extension
An Open-House public meeting will be held to review information on the project, the environmental document and maps of the seven alternatives under consideration from 5-6:30 pm.
A formal presentation will be made beginning at 7 pm.
If you are unable to attend in person, the hearing will be live streamed. Please use the link below to join online or by phone.
Join by phone: (984) 204-1487 Conference ID 311 933 621#
South Carolina Public Meeting and Formal Public Hearing
An Open-House public meeting will be held to review information on the project, the environmental document and maps of the seven alternatives under consideration from 5-6:30pm.
A formal presentation will be made beginning at 7 pm.
If you are unable to attend in person, the hearing will be live streamed. Please use the link below to join online or by phone.
Join by phone: (984) 204-1487 Conference ID 513 946 767#
PROJECT CONTACTS AND COMMENT SUBMITTAL
Comments may be submitted at any time during the project development process. To have your comments included in the project record, please submit them by October 31, 2025.
Comments or questions may be submitted in either of the following ways:
Email:
Carolina-Bays-Pkwy@publicinput.com
Phone: 855-925-2801 and entering project code 7734 when prompted, to leave a message
US Mail: by folding an placing a stamp on the comment form attached to your handout at the meeting
US Mail to the Project Managers shown below
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North Carolina
Aaron R. LeBeau, PE
Project Manager
N.C. Department of Transportation
5501 Barbados Boulevard
Castle Hayne, NC 28429
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South Carolina
Stacy Johnson, PE
Program Manager
S.C. Department of Transportation
PO Box 191
Columbia, SC 29202