Next Step Planned For I-73 To Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham says the next step for Interstate 73 in South Carolina is an interchange in Dillon County.

Multiple media outlets reported that Graham’s spoke Friday on the long-planned interstate to the heart of the state’s tourism industry across six states from  Michigan to Myrtle Beach. Its 90-mile trek through four South Carolina counties is expected to cost $2 billion.

The $150 million interchange would connect U.S. Highway 501 to Interstate 95. Graham says about half the funding is available, so the state needs to  appropriate the remaining $75 million.

A study released in January 2009 says the South Carolina leg of I-73 could create thousands of jobs and generate more than $1 billion in household income  during the five-year construction.

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