More than 300 Horry County parcels to be barred from major development along Interstate 73 corridor

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Hundreds of potential tracts will be barred from major development along Interstate 73’s stretch through Horry County once the highway is officially added to its maps.

In all, 389 parcels would be pulled off the table for large-scale projects once the maps are formally updated — which may happen as quickly as next month.

Officials referred News13 to the state’s transportation department for an exact acreage amount since that agency is overseeing construction of I-73.

Despite the removal of that much land, county spokesman Thomas Bell said it won’t mean any revenue losses in the way of building permit fees or commercial investments since state-owned parcels aren’t subject to property taxes.

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.

While a construction timeline for the highway remains unknown, David Gilreath, an assistant county administrator, said there’s an advantage to adding I-73 onto official maps now.

“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 told the county council this week. “That said, what this ordinance does is it tries to protect the interests of the public in reducing or eliminating improvements to a property the public is anticipating to acquire.”

A finished I-73 is also estimated to create 29,000 jobs and cut evacuation times by up to 15 hours.

It would be about $300 million to built out the first six miles to U.S. Highway 501 with an I-95 interchange.

Gov. Henry McMaster in March reiterated his support for a completed Interstate 73 through Horry County, despite not recommending any money for the project in his 2024-25 budget.

“I think it’s important it happens,” he told News13 during a stop in Myrtle Beach. “I’ve been in favor of that. This area is growing and we need to be able to get people in and out, and do so safely.”

McMaster has been a proponent of the interstate’s expansion throughout his administration. In 2021, he first proposed a $300 million investment to be funded through COVID-era federal aid. The same suggested allocation was included in his 2023-24 executive budget proposal.

Marion County, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach leaders have all supported resolutions pledging local money for an expanded I-73.

And up to half of the cost could be covered through Horry County RIDE IV revenues should voters approve the referendum in November — and only if construction contracts are finalized between state and federal agencies.

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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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