§ 16-36. Guidelines for determining if road within maintenance system provides sufficient public benefit to warrant continued expenditure of public funds for maintenance.

The guidelines below will be used to evaluate all roads within the county maintenance system that were not previously accepted through formal dedication. The director of public works and county engineer will evaluate all roads, unless previously formally dedicated, within the county maintenance system to determine if these guidelines are met. Any road that does not meet the standards below shall be removed from the county maintenance system upon authority hereby given to the administrator, after one hundred eighty (180) days prior written notice of such action is given to all individuals residing or owning property along the road.

(1)

Maintenance of road must be of material benefit to the general public.

(2)

Road must exist within existing prescriptive and/or written easements granted to Horry County. This easement must be wide enough to be of benefit to the public and suitable for maintenance.

(3)

Road must connect directly to another existing public right-of-way.

(4)

The attainment and maintenance of basic design standards must be economically feasible in line with the benefit to the general public.

(5)

Road must be open for public use at all times, except for permitted temporary closures for maintenance, controlled burning, enhancements, etc.

(6)

Road must serve at least four (4) property owners. Any parcel with multiple owners will be counted as having a single owner.

(7)

Road must serve at least four (4) parcels of land that do not also have frontage on a different publicly maintained roadway.

(8)

Road is a through road but a close alternate route exists and there is no other public benefit to maintaining the existing road. Taking the alternate route would not make a substantial change to a desired route.

(Ord. No. 39-16, § 1, 9-6-16)