For more than 30 miles of tri-county area asphalt, the drive is about to get a good deal smoother.

Off a record-breaking year for rebuilding state roads, the South Carolina Department of Transportation just approved $417 million to pave another 600 miles.

That money will pay for 19 projects in York, Lancaster and Chester counties.

York County is getting $8.3 million for highways and secondary roads.

Lancaster County gets a little more than $5 million and Chester County $4.2 million of the overall $417 million statewide.

The county totals don’t include almost $114 million for interstates and $61.5 million for federal highway reconstruction, which are not broken up by county. There is no date set for work to begin, but the plans are at a stage in which paving can begin relatively soon.

The York County work spans 11.2 miles.

Heckle Boulevard in Rock Hill, from Main Street to Cherry Road, made it. The Fort Mill area has almost two miles of Pleasant Road, from Willshire Drive to Altura Road, and almost half a mile on White Street from the U.S. 21 Bypass to the Old Nation Road northbound ramp.

Western York County has C.E. Stewart Road, from Black Highway to S.C. 55, and Crossland/Greenleaf Road, from Kings Mountain Highway to C.E. Stewart, each at more than three miles.

York has more than a quarter of a mile at North Congress Street, from Kings Mountain Street to Lincoln Road, and more than a mile at North Congress/Kings Mountain, from Madison Street to Inman Cross Road.

Lancaster County has six projects on the list, more than 13 miles of pavement.

Flat Creek Road, from near Community Lane to Fork Hill Road, is almost six miles, while Old Camden Highway running parallel to U.S. 521 is more than five miles.

At less than a mile each are Wylie, Springs and West Barr streets, and Forest Drive from Plantation to Gillsbrook Road.

Six projects are slated for Chester County, at 11.5 miles.

Two paving jobs, each more than two miles, involve West End Road. One follows it from near the Union County line to the Leeds Road area, the other from near Leeds to Sandy River Road. Liberty Road from Center to Pinckney roads is the other project at more than two miles.

Other Chester County work includes York Street/Old York Road from Saluda Street to the J.A. Cochran Bypass, Hawthorne Road from the bypass to West End and Beechwood Road from Pinckney to Liberty roads.

The increased funding is part of a 10-year plan developed by SCDOT to pave roads, fix failing bridges, improve safety in rural areas and relieve interstate congestion. More money comes in from an increased gas tax.

State legislators began a phased-in gas tax increase last summer with a new roads bill.

Total road and bridge work in the first year of that plan surpassed $3 billion, a record for the state. Paving contracts alone covered more than 2,200 miles statewide in the first year. SCDOT shared the plan with lawmakers as they considered the gas tax increase last year.

“We have held to the plan during its first year which produced better than expected results,” said Christy Hall, state secretary of transportation. “We will remain unwavering to the priorities within the four major programs.”

Statewide paving efforts have doubled from pre-roads bill levels. Paving is expected to double yet again as the gas tax phases in fully. The state agency recommends residents keep their eyes on the list of coming projects.

“We encourage the public to follow our progress on the existing projects as more are added,” Hall said.

The second-year projects were approved by SCDOT on June 21. The new year begins for the state agency began July 1.

By John Marks, Staff Reporter with The Fort Mill Times