Interstate 73 is a shovel-ready project. But who will pay $2.4 billion to move the dirt?

Construction of Interstate 73 to Myrtle Beach has widespread support among key players in Washington, D.C., and is favored for financing when President Trump introduces an infrastructure package to Congress, according to U.S. Rep. Tom Rice.

“The president has said he wants an infrastructure package, and we want to make sure that we are on the radar at the front of the line,” Rice told The Sun News in an interview this week.

Rice says he’s held numerous meetings to help secure the $2.4 billion needed with top Trump administration officials, including D.J. Gribbin, special assistant to the president for infrastructure policy.

“We showed him the project during an hour meeting with him, and he said ‘this is going to be at the top of the heap.’ He said ‘I can’t imagine many projects that offer much more than this,’ ” Rice said.

All of the key elements needed to get final funding are in play for Interstate 73, Rice said.

It’s a shovel-ready project with local matching dollars available from the county’s hospitality fee revenues, and willingness from state officials to see the road built, Rice said.

“We are hitting on all cylinders and we’re proud of how far we’ve gotten, and hopefully it won’t be long and we’ll be announcing funding,” Rice said.

The plan is to use existing S.C. 22 as the link on the Myrtle Beach end, and connect it with Interstate 95. However, Rice said he wants to take it further and connect with Interstate 74.

“I think it opens up the Charlotte market, which should be our biggest market, and it has a lot of other potential for the entire Southeast,” Rice said.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told the American Public Transportation Association conference in Atlanta on Wednesday that President Trump is committed to providing $200 billion for infrastructure funding nationwide, and expects that funding to leverage $1 trillion from state, local and private partners.

“The president’s proposal would be ideal for projects like I-73 and would expedite progress,” said Brad Dean, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

However, the administration is still working on the infrastructure proposal and it has not yet been sent to Congress for consideration. The plan was expected to come within Trump’s first 100 days, but Congress has spent much of the session debating health care reform.

Until that infrastructure package goes before Congress for a vote, Dean said the completion of Interstate 73 will just “continue to be a good idea.”

“We could make limited progress without federal funding, but ultimately, we’re not going to drive on I-73 until the federal government marshals resources and makes it happen,” Dean said.

“To get bulldozers moving and jobs created, we need the federal government to step up and move this project forward,” Dean said.

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Interstate 73 is a shovel-ready project. But who will pay $2.4 billion to move the dirt?."