Myrtle Beach wants Horry County tax money to fund I-73

Flickr user Doug Kerr

At an annual joint legislative meeting between the city of Myrtle Beach and Horry County, Councilman Wayne Gray suggested using the Horry County road tax proceeds to fund the construction of the I-73 connector, even if it means extending beyond the original seven year plan for the tax.

After the session, other Myrtle Beach officials supported the idea. Other items on the Myrtle Beach wishlist included the ability to enforce zoning and laws in unincorporated parts of Myrtle Beach proper and cleaning up 501. The Sun News has more details here.

I-73 has been in jeopardy since the S.C. Department of Transportation's financial woes have been brought to light. There's plenty of coverage on that here. There are several bad roads and intersections in Horry County that are the cause of accidents and frustrations for drivers that stand no chance of being improved without the RIDE 1 tax. The projected revenue over seven years of the tax is only $425 million and the current cost estimate for I-73 is $600 million.

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