SC

SC Highway Commissioners Bullish On Interstate 73

FUNDING FOR UNNECESSARY PROJECT ON VERGE OF “MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH” || By FITSNEWS || The $2.4 billion Interstate 73 boondoggle – South Carolina’s poster child for totally unnecessary transportation projects – is reportedly on the verge of a “major funding breakthrough.” Working to secure that funding?  U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and State Senate president…

FUNDING FOR UNNECESSARY PROJECT ON VERGE OF “MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH”

|| By FITSNEWS || The $2.4 billion Interstate 73 boondoggle – South Carolina’s poster child for totally unnecessary transportation projects – is reportedly on the verge of a “major funding breakthrough.”

Working to secure that funding?  U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and State Senate president Hugh Leatherman.

At a recent gathering of S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) commissioners, Leatherman’s son-in-law John Hardee was overhead telling his fellow commissioner Mike Wooten that the project was moving forward.

“Not to worry,” Hardee told “You’re going to get I-73.”

One of our SCDOT moles confirmed the conversation between the two appointees – but added the “funding breakthrough” was only going to be viable in the event both federal and state governments raised their gas taxes.

And in the event I-73 was a toll road (ruh-roh).

FITS has also confirmed with our sources in Washington, D.C. that Graham and U.S. Senator Tim Scott have been “working overtime” in recent weeks to secure funding for the road – which was inexplicably included in a recent state infrastructure “shortfall” (one exclusively reported on by this website).

Sad, isn’t it?  Studies have shown congestion issues along the South Carolina coast can be managed for one-tenth the cost of the Interstate 73 project … yet politicians continue to push this costly project.

In fact they’ve even built “interchanges to nowhere” along the planned route as part of an effort to pressure policymakers … while forcing taxpayers into debt to fund paving and maintenance.  Oh, and tens of millions of dollars that could be going to road paving and maintenance continue to be earmarked for I-73’s “right of way acquisitions” and “feasibility studies.”

Unreal …

This is why South Carolina’s roads are consistently crappy and costly, people.  Politically motivated projects like continue sucking up money that ought to be going to paving, maintenance and legitimate projects.  Well, that and tiny South Carolina (fortieth in geographic size) maintains the fourth-largest network of state-maintained roads in America.

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27 comments

TroubleBaby March 10, 2015 at 9:38 am

I wonder how many off interstate SC roads $2.4 billion can fix…

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Easy March 10, 2015 at 9:51 am

None, if the state house has any say in it.

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Nölff March 10, 2015 at 9:41 am

We have one of those toll-roads in Greenville. Nobody rides it. NONE. When you drive past it on a bridge, you never see a vehicle. The Southern Connector is a big fat flop. The SCDOT should know it.

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Dan Ruck March 10, 2015 at 9:55 am

Nolff is partly right. Some people must drive it because there are deep ruts in the ground around the toll booth from people driving onto the grass to get around the toll booth without paying.

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Rocky March 10, 2015 at 10:12 am

Now I understand. Build an interstate to Mrytle Beach, and keep I-95 two lane crawler – so that Yankee’s trying to get to Florida are forced to go to Mrytle Beach instead. Except for $200 you can fly to Florida from NYC – so I guess it won’t work.

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The Colonel March 10, 2015 at 11:04 am

Since I studiously avoid Dyrty Myrtle, this sounds like a good plan to me.

Yes, you can fly to “The Geriatric State” from “New Yauwk” for $200 but then you have to rent a “cah” and a Lincoln or a Caddie comes at a premium. Draw them in to the Dyrty Myrtle and fleece’em!

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Rocky March 10, 2015 at 12:04 pm

:) Nah, most everyone in New Yauwk and Jeersey have relatives in Florida – they stay for free. “Ma, I’m home!!! What’s fo dinnar!”

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Mike at the Beach March 10, 2015 at 8:51 pm

You have to gravitate toward the south (relatively unspoiled) end of the Redneck Riviera, my good sir. Not as pretentious as Chaaaaarleston, but not as dirt-ass tacky as Myrtle proper, ‘specially south of the county line… ;-)

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The Colonel March 10, 2015 at 8:53 pm

I head north just across the state line to Oak Island. Thirty minutes from Wilmington, thirty years in the past.

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Mike at the Beach March 11, 2015 at 1:16 am

Very familiar! We fly there for “$100 cheesburgers” once in a while (land at Cape Fear Regional – KSUT). Hop over to Bald Head or Southport to eat. Definitely God’s country up there as well…

Squishy123 March 10, 2015 at 10:40 am

Gosh, I wonder who’s going to supply all that concrete for this project?

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Buz Martin March 10, 2015 at 11:22 am

Hint:

He’s even more wrinkled than Grand Tango’s scrotum.

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Mike at the Beach March 10, 2015 at 8:46 pm

Ewwww…

Hopefully you’re not implying that you’ve seen the thing. I mean, not that anythings’s wrong with that in principle…

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Buz Martin March 10, 2015 at 11:20 pm

Had I actually seen it, I would be obliged to pluck out both of my eyes with shrimp forks.

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Just Say NO To Speedos! March 10, 2015 at 10:43 am

Why are Bozzer and FITS not saying a word about the real threat now facing the stinking sludge hole that is Myrtle Beach. Which is being completely bought up by the elite Chinese communists. Who have more money than God’s own rich Uncle Ira. This road that will never happen is small stuff. Chinaman won’t use it, so they don’t need it. End of story. Afraid to tackle the real enemy?

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Buz Martin March 10, 2015 at 11:17 am

Silly comment from one of the usual suspects. When the situation reaches critical mass, if it ever does, then we have an issue. No law against them buying whatever they want. Except in China. Which is why they buy so much here. Educate yourself.

On Speedos. Can’t speak for Will. Don’t wear ’em, but maybe if I had a lot less belly fat over-hang I could … ahem … put it off, for the right women.

I do have the right package for it. As long as I stay out of the cold water.

#shrinkage #GirlsDon’tKnowAboutShrinkage #GrowerNotAShower

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Mike at the Beach March 10, 2015 at 8:53 pm

Oversharing! Twice in one day! Stop!

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Buz Martin March 10, 2015 at 11:22 pm

You’re right. I shall go and sin no more.

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Buz Martin March 10, 2015 at 11:21 am

Will Folks:

One of the biggest problems with this road is the use of eminent domain to seize private land against the wishes of the people.

I’m sure you would agree that this is a bad thing, in general. But why is it OK with you when it is done to benefit the Canooks and Big (chrony corporatist) Oil, where the pipeline is concerned?

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FastEddy23 March 10, 2015 at 4:06 pm

Correct. Out here in Taxifornia eminent domain seizures are a way of life. The state / CalTrans has it fine tuned in court. They have even “successfully” seized entire trusts that happen to own properties “in their way”.

The Half-Fast passenger rail is one of many outsized g’ment projects where seizures are SOP for the state.

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dm10ae March 10, 2015 at 12:34 pm

Money for I73 or I526 spur are total waste of money. It benefits a small area of SC. The interchange proposed on I73 in MYR will benefit one person like the I95 interchange in Dillon for South of The Border. SC representatives had $90+ million earmarked for road maintenance and improvements-that was placed into the general fund instead. There is no guarantee that any increase in the gas tax will be applied to roads.

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vicupstate March 10, 2015 at 12:58 pm

Well, that and tiny South Carolina (fortieth in geographic size) maintains the fourth-largest network of state-maintained roads in America.

Why is this useless information repeatedly spewed in your articles? We aren’t ‘over paved’, the state simply owns the roads that are owned by the local governments in other states.

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TSIB March 10, 2015 at 1:34 pm

WE DON’T WANT IT.

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erneba March 10, 2015 at 2:25 pm

I-73 makes no sense all all. It will parallel I-74 in North Carolina through the poorest sections of both states. These Interstates will spur no boom in an economic area dominanted by white nit-wits and black uneducated thugs wanabe’s. I-74 could be extended and then route a spur south to handle out-of-state traffic to the Myrtle Beach area. Current non-Interstate highways should be improved in South Carolina to accommodate the mostly regional crowd that finds Murder Beach and environs a fitting place to waste their vacation money.

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Native Ink March 10, 2015 at 3:55 pm

All the highways leading to Myrtle Beach are four lanes and are not crowded with traffic. Whenever I’ve driven on them, I easily made 65-70 MPH (except where there were speed traps). There’s no need for an interstate on highways like that.

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Karen Dwyer March 10, 2015 at 3:56 pm

Interstate highways are awesome. They are simply the most efficient way to get from place to place and provide more economic value than regrading backroad 172 in Jebadiah County Nowhereville SC. I say don’t stop building them until our major population centers are all connected by one and circled by one. Anybody that can’t see the value in building interstates must ride a horse or have WAY too much time on their hands to sightsee.

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tomstickler March 11, 2015 at 7:11 pm

For those of you who joined recently, here was my take back in 2011: https://www.fitsnews.com/2011/10/19/stickler-i-73-study-riddled-with-errors/

Since then I have done a bit more calculating and the result is that the 18,856 permanent tourism jobs promised by the Chmura study (the source of the “29,000 jobs” claim by the I-73 boosters) cannot possibly be greater than 1,305.

The first major error made by Chmura was to overestimate the travel time saved if I-73 were built from I-95 to Myrtle Beach.

The second major error Chmura made was to apply this projected increase in tourism to the entire estimated 15.2 million tourist visits per year, instead of the much smaller number that might actually travel on I-73.

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