Jasper County outlines road program designs, signage plans; SCDOT denies fee waiver

At a Jasper County work session, staff updated councilors on the county’s road program, including a 30% design work order with consultant ICE and plans for public-facing signage and project mapping.

Staff member Jim said the county signed a 30% design work order for Argent and US 278 so the county can secure SCDOT buy-in on cross sections and intersection treatments before engaging a final engineering consultant. "We did sign about 3 weeks ago, Argent in US 278, 30% design work order, with ICE so that they can, get moving," he said.

Jim showed a prototype sign and said full-size field signs will be larger so motorists can read them at highway speeds; staff expects to place signs in the field in roughly six to eight weeks. The signs will not include phone numbers or website URLs because SCDOT expressed safety concerns about motorists using phones while driving.

A council member asked for clearer ordering on the proposed project list so high‑visibility items such as the 462 project are easier to find on the interactive map when it goes live. Staff said the map and website will be editable after launch.

Jim also said the county received a formal letter from SCDOT denying the request not to be charged plan-review fees. "They've, kindly denied that request," Jim said, and added that the county’s intergovernmental agreement with SCDOT is currently with SCDOT legal counsel.

Staff noted that federal funding is being used on many projects, which may lengthen schedules but brings additional dollars; one council member said that trade-off could bring about $12 million in extra funding.

There was no formal vote at the session. Staff said it will proceed with the contracted design work, signage production and coordination with SCDOT and report back as documents are finalized.