Officials plan to petition presidential candidates for I-73 in Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach area leaders gathered Friday to encourage residents to be “cheerleaders” for Interstate 73 and other infrastructure projects this weekend when candidates are in town for the Republican Presidential Debate.

The six GOP candidates will participate in a debate on Monday at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, but Friday morning five area leaders stood outside the center to show their support for the highway.

“It’s time for us now to reinvest in America’s future . . . It’s time to shape a 21st Century infrastructure policy,” said Rep. Alan Clemmons, R-Myrtle Beach, who called I-73 supporters to be cheerleaders. “The presidential candidates need to address [infrastructure policy] system. . . . They’re interested in our issues because they want us to support them. We are here to say what’s important to us.”

It was the first of several groups that will be using the events surrounding the 7th Congressional debate on Sunday and the GOP debate on Monday as a platform to have their messages heard.

For instance:

* The South Carolina Tea Party Capitation is hosting a state Tea Party Convention Sunday and Monday at Springmaid Pier Resort in Myrtle Beach.

* The Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp will be hosting a presentation focusing on economic development on Saturday. North Eastern Strategic Alliance Executive Director Jeff McKay, Horry County Council Chairman Tom Rice and Myrtle Beach EDC President Brad Lofton are expected to speak.

* The AARP will be hosting a ‘Vote for Retirement Security” event on Sunday as part of the SC GOP Experience in Celebrity Square at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach.

Clemmons, Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes, Brad Dean, chamber of commerce president, Myrtle Beach Councilman Michael Chestnut and Mike Wooten, DDC Engineers president, spoke during the I-73 press conference supported by Building America’s Future South Carolina Chapter.

“This bus is going to help educate people on how to build our future,” Rhodes said while standing in front of a tour bus with I-73 icons and ‘29,000 jobs created’ painted on the sides. “It’s extremely important to build the future of the state of South Carolina.”

Residents should petition the next president and lawmakers to make the road and other infrastructure projects, such as ports, airports and upgrades of current roads, a priority, Dean said.

Myrtle Beach is one of the “busiest vacation destinations without interstate access. We see it throughout the state and throughout America that infrastructure has not been a priority,” Dean said.

But Nancy Cave with the Coastal Conservation League said if I-73 goes through a prioritization process it might be top of the list for area infrastructure projects.

“We need to fix what we have and that should be our priority,” Cave said. “We could get people jobs faster with repairs to our roads that are falling apart and deteriorating.”

In addition to creating new jobs by making it easier for tourists to get to the Myrtle Beach area, Chestnut said construction of the road and then growth around it will create new jobs not only in smaller towns.

“A rising tide floats all boats,” Chestnut said. “When Myrtle Beach does well, Horry County does well and our state does well.”