The Pennies for Progress committee responsible for selecting roads for the upcoming ballot initiative is seeking pricing details for major proposed projects. During their meeting on Tuesday night in Rock Hill, the six-member committee reviewed the approximately 150 requests they had received. A condensed list of project proposals was sent for more in-depth cost estimates. The county staff will determine the prices of these projects before the citizens’ committee makes the final decision on whether to include them in the fall 2024 referendum.
Two projects in Tega Cay will be priced. The first project involves widening a stretch of Dam Road from Gold Hill Road to Gardendale Road, extending it to three lanes. Initial estimates range from $8 million to $13 million. The second project entails widening almost two miles of Sutton Road, from Mills Lane to I-77, to five lanes, with a projected cost of $31 million to $36 million.
Other projects selected for pricing include the widening U.S. 21 in Fort Mill from Sutton Road to S.C. 160, and improvements on S.C. 49 in Lake Wylie, with an estimated cost of $25 million.
The commission did not recommend pricing any of the submitted projects from York in their entirety. However, intersections within those projects were included in the pricing list.
It is important to note that undergoing pricing engineering does not guarantee a project’s inclusion in the upcoming Pennies referendum.
Pennies for Progress is a one-cent sales tax that York County residents vote to approve, with the funds allocated for road work. The program has been in place since 1997, with each campaign lasting seven years. The fall 2024 vote will be Pennies 5, potentially generating $350 million to $400 million, or even more, for road improvements.
According to the law, a citizens’ commission creates a list of roads to be included on the ballot, and the collected funds must be used for those roads in the order they appear. The York County Council can approve or reject the commission’s list in its entirety for inclusion on the ballot, but they cannot make changes to the list.
More information on Pennies for Progress is available here.
