Highway 90 Corridor Concerns, founded in 2019 in Conway, addresses critical issues threatening residents along South Carolina’s Highway 90. This 23-mile state highway, running through Horry County between the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Ocean, is at the epicenter of rampant, unchecked development that jeopardizes the community’s safety and environment. Over 38% wetlands with three major swamp systems, the area faces severe challenges including stormwater mismanagement, frequent flooding, and environmental degradation. Once open spaces and farmland, the region now contends with the consequences of rapid, unregulated growth. New developments exacerbate flooding by elevating land, disregarding existing zoning laws, and increasing housing density without proper oversight. The older existing community is mostly middle to low-income families, with 20.2% living below the poverty line. Daily, these residents witness and experience the detrimental impacts on traffic, air quality, and overall safety.
Highway 90 Corridor Concerns – Accident.
Founder Amelia Wood, an advocate for environmental education and Conway resident, leads the group’s efforts to halt irresponsible development, urging Horry County to enforce stringent regulations, particularly concerning flooding, and allocate more tax revenue for public safety, improved intersections, traffic flow, and mass transit. Group members regularly attend county meetings, demanding that elected officials recognize the dangers of rezoning and new construction in high-risk flood zones. In 2022, Highway 90 Corridor Concerns began raising the alarm over a planned expansion of the local landfill, adding nearly 43 new acres and hundreds of thousands of tons “piggybacking” on the existing mounds of waste, a result of the swiftly growing population. Residents worry that the expansion will impact anything downstream from the landfill which would include Conway. “When wetlands are filled in and there are fewer permeable surfaces, that’s what happens, flooding gets worse,” Wood warns.
Highway 90 Corridor Concerns – Emergency Responders