YORK COUNTY TRANSPORTATION PLAN: ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS

York County, South Carolina, is one of the fastest growing areas of the greater Charlotte region and is experiencing developmental pressures and congestion. In response to these needs the York County Planning Department requested the Carolinas Transportation Compact to develop a model of future travel in York County and test various highway alternatives. A detailed model for York County was developed from a larger regional model developed to study the Carolinas Parkway. The Carolinas Parkway network was refined to reflect additional roads important for the study of alternatives in York County. Alternative networks with 2010 employment and households were tested to determine the results of these improvements. The "null alternative" which includes existing highways, as well as those included in the present SC TIP, was used for comparison. The overall findings are that the 2010 null network will have about 60% more traffic. Additional improvements, particularly the Fort Mill Bypass and the I-85 and I-77 Connector, will decrease the congestion on some key roads, but these facilities will also change local travel patterns, encouraging some traffic from surrounding areas to use these roads. Of the proposals studied, the so-called SC 160 Bypass diverted the most traffic, and has the strongest justification. Thus, the improvements should be weighed carefully by local and state decision makers, so that future improvements will enhance the movement of traffic in York County.