South Carolina Highway 544

SC 544 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 17 Business (US 17 Bus.) northeast of Surfside Beach and ends at US 501 Bus. in Red Hill, near Conway. SC 544 is one of the most frequently traversed highways in the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It travels in a south–north direction and parallels US 501 for most of its route.[2]

South Carolina Highway 544 going over the Intracoastal Waterway in Socastee

Part of the current routing of SC 544 was the first route between Conway and Myrtle Beach, built in the late 1930s. When the Intracoastal Waterway was dug, the Socastee Swing Bridge in Socastee, South Carolina was also built. US 501 was signed on this route from Conway running south to Socastee. At Socastee, the road followed an east–west direction along the current route of SC 707 through Socastee, continuing through the area that is currently the Myrtle Beach International Airport, and ending near downtown Myrtle Beach on the road that is now Broadway Street. A more direct (and wider) route running diagonally between Conway and Myrtle Beach was built in the early 1960s, replacing a disused road through the former Conway Bombing and Gunnery Range. US 501 was signed on this path, and SC 544 and SC 707 were created to replace the old route of US 501.[3]

A new bridge to be used in addition to the Socastee Swing Bridge was built in 1993. At that time, SC 544 was routed on this new road, and the former road was named Dick Pond Road in reference to a former lake near the intersection of US 17 Business and the route.

Public meetings by the South Carolina Department of Transportation took place in September 1999 to discuss the widening of SC 544 to a four-lane highway from US 501 in Conway to the Intracoastal Waterway, including sidewalks and gutters throughout most of the route. A 90-foot right-of-way was required for the expansion, and the Federal Highway Administration approved the Finding of No Significant Impact report in January 2000.[4] In February 2001, the road was named in honor of Corporal Dennis Lyden, who was killed on the road in June 2000.[5] Limited areas of six lanes were constructed near the intersection with Phase II of S.C. Highway 31, approved for construction in January 2002.[6]

SC 544 is notable for traversing through many diverse areas of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area, including Coastal Carolina University, several golf courses, many suburban bedroom communities, historic Socastee, and the tourist-oriented areas near Surfside Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

The entire route is in Horry County.

Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
​	0.000	0.000	US 17 Bus. – Surfside Beach, Garden City Beach, Murrells Inlet, Myrtle Beach	Southern terminus
Socastee	1.050	1.690	US 17 – Georgetown, Myrtle Beach	Nelson Jackson Memorial Interchange; provides access to Myrtle Beach International Airport
	3.850	6.196	Dick Pond Road north to SC 707 – Socastee	Dick Pond Road turns right, off of SC 544.
	4.010	6.453	To SC 707 – Murrells Inlet, Socastee	Eastern terminus of unnamed connector road to SC 707
	4.696	7.557	Benjamin E. Thrailkill Jr. Bridge over SC 707, the Intracoastal Waterway, and Peachtree Road
	5.880	9.463	SC 31 – North Myrtle Beach, Georgetown	Thomas G. Keegan Interchange
Red Hill	12.990	20.905	SC 544 Conn. north	No access from SC 544 to SC 544 Conn.
	13.220	21.276	Cox Ferry Road (SC 544 Conn.) to US 501 south – Myrtle Beach
	13.450	21.646	US 501 to US 378 – Myrtle Beach, Marion, Sumter	Interchange
	13.710	22.064	US 501 Bus. north to US 701 north / SC 90 – Conway Business District, Conway Historic District, River Front	Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

•  United States portal
•  U.S. roads portal

• Media related to South Carolina Highway 544 at Wikimedia Commons
• SC 544 at Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page on the Virginia Highways Annex