Major development ban along planned Horry County Interstate 73 route closer to reality

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — In a move that officials say will safeguard property owners in coming decades, council members on Tuesday gave another vote of support toward putting Interstate 73 onto official Horry County maps.

“Adding this property to the index map is in the public interest since it provides an additional capacity for residents as well as provides opportunities to reduce future acquisition cost by limiting development in the path of such improvements,” language in the ordinance states.

A third and final vote is needed before I-73 is formally placed on Horry County’s maps, which could happen in August.

If it ever gets built, the roughly 80-mile, $2 billion highway would be South Carolina’s sixth interstate, linking the state’s tourism hub directly to the North Carolina border through rural areas of the Pee Dee, running from Rockingham, North Carolina through Marlboro and Dillon counties.

It would then cross Interstate 95 and feed onto Highway 22 in Horry County.

Resident Megan Floyd suggested on Tuesday that the council wait until after Nov. 5, when Horry County voters will decide the fate of RIDE IV — the fourth round of a special sales tax that will raise billions to pay for infrastructure projects through 2049.

A RIDE IV committee that finalized the list recommended a local match of up to half the cost of the construction from Highway 22 to the county line, but not until a state contract has been signed for the finalization of I-73 to I-95.

“Let’s postpone this ordinance until after Nov. 5, when we truly know if residents want to invest money in this road,” Floyd said.

David Gilreath, an assistant county administrator, said the success of RIDE IV is unrelated to placing I-73 onto officials maps.

The state Department of Transportation has $15 million to purchase rights-of-way in Horry County in preparation for I-73. Gilreath said establishing the route now on maps could prevent future financial losses for investors.

“No matter how we talk about this and no matter what we do, it’s not a pleasant situation when you have to take someone’s property to improve it for the public,” he said.

Floyd said the fiscal uncertainty of I-73 should play a factor in the county council’s decision.

“There are so many what-ifs when it comes to whether or not there will be funding for this, and if and when it will ever happen. Please understand that this makes things difficult for property owners,” Floyd said. “These property owners did not choose this. This is something that’s happening to them.”

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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