Stimulus money will help South Carolina build a portion of Interstate 73 to Myrtle Beach, but the larger effort that would link it to Richmond County is still years away, officials say.

A group of South Carolina legislators announced this month the state has been awarded $10 million in federal money to work toward making Interstate 73 to Myrtle Beach a reality.

The proposed interstate corridor would eventually route vacationers through Richmond County along U.S. 220 and U.S. 1.

The grant also allows South Carolina to use the $10 million to borrow up to a third of the project’s estimated $100 million cost below the North Carolina line.

The proposed Interstate 73/74 corridor would begin in the Great Lakes region of Michigan before working its way south through Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia.

Once it hits North Carolina, the corridor would primarily follow U.S. 220, aside from being routed around Greensboro, and would link with U.S. 1 south of Rockingham, proceeding into Marlboro County, S.C.

In Richmond County, the interstate corridor could mean a better chance of landing industry, as well as increased tourism traffic, according to County Manager Rick Sago.

“Obviously, anything that gets people going through the county is a good thing,” Sago said Thursday.

He said the commercial opportunities the interstate would open up would far outweigh the benefits of increased tourist traffic.

“I think we see a lot of those tourists already,” Sago said. “Right now, we’re at the intersection of 73 and 74, and as it gets closer to completion going south it could really become another commerce corridor for us, and enhance Richmond County’s position for future industrial and distribution development.”

Another benefit for Richmond County would be an additional link with Interstate 95, the most traveled road on the United States eastern coast.

North Carolina was awarded a similar $10 million grant for work on the Yadkin River Bridge on Interstate 85 through the stimulus bill. The North Carolina Department of Transportation is in the process of compiling a list of projects to stretch from now until 2020.

However, NCDOT Spokeswoman Greer Beatty explained a lack of available funds could mean the interstate corridor will have to wait in line and be done piece meal over a long period of time.

“We are preparing the Draft State Transportation Improvement Plan,” Beatty explained. “Once it’s published, it will be posted for nine months for public comment, after which those public comments will be taken into account, along with data like crash numbers and traffic volume, and a final decision will be made on what projects we’ll move forward with.”

She explained that regional planning organizations set up by NCDOT will have a large hand in deciding what projects are recommended, but there will be stiff competition for funding.

“In total, we have about 2,000 projects that have been proposed, and about 1,100 of those are highway projects while about 900 of them are non-highway projects, which would include ferries, rail, mass transit and other projects,” Beatty continued. “If we were to take all of those 1,100 projects, the total cost would be about $45 billion, and there is an estimated $9 billion available.”

“Right now, (I-73) is in the planning stages, and we don’t have a schedule for when it will be completed,” Beatty said.

Despite getting some money behind the project, South Department of Transportation Pee Dee Regional Engineer Mike Barbee put the dollar amount into perspective by saying South Carolina is not going out to begin construction right away.

“At this time, with the funding being what it is, there is no schedule for when the project (will reach the North Carolina line),” Barbee said.

He said South Carolina has completed all required environmental studies for the project within the state, “which is a nice milestone,” but it is not ready to put shovels into dirt.

“We want to be in a position here to be ready in case we are put in a position where we can begin construction,” Barbee said. “However, North Carolina will be responsible for any action items on the work that’s required in their jurisdiction.”

South Carolina’s major motivation for pursuing the I-73 corridor is to make Myrtle Beach more attractive to tourists by linking it with a major thoroughfare.

“Myrtle Beach is currently the busiest resort destination in the nation without an interstate connection, leaving them with a competitive disadvantage against other destinations,” South Carolina’s First District U.S. Representative Henry Brown told The Associated Press. “Not only will this grant help alleviate this disadvantage, but it will create jobs during a time when South Carolinians are really struggling to find work.”

It is estimated the work will add more than $1 billion to South Carolina’s economy, create thousands of jobs and cut hurricane evacuation times from the Grand Strand coastal region by 11 to 15 hours.

The I-73 corridor was first looked at by the U.S. Congress in 1982 when an appropriations bill that required a study for a highway connecting I-95 South with U.S. 17 near Myrtle Beach.

Over the ensuing years, South Carolina, in particular, has advocated for the project.

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.