S.C. 31 extension to North Carolina gaining support, possibly funding

The cost of extending S.C. 31 to North Carolina could be completely covered in Horry County’s next road-building program.

The RIDE III Sales Tax Commission on Tuesday discussed several options for paying for the project, including using some of the additional $60 million identified in the latest projections for the one percent sales tax proposal.

Until last month, the six-member commission was developing plans for $530 million worth of road work in RIDE III, including nearly $90 million for the extension of S.C. 31 to the I-74 network in North Carolina.

The problem was the 31 project would likely cost $120 million, and commissioners weren’t sure where the final $30 million would come from.

But the most recent revenue projections show the tax should bring in about $60 million more than previously estimated. On Tuesday, commissioners talked about what to do with the additional money.

The northern construction of 31 topped the list. Local leaders insist this project could help alleviate traffic problems in Little River and North Myrtle Beach.

Commission Chairman Eddie Dyer stressed that North Carolina leaders support the project as much as their Horry counterparts do.

“The reason that all of us are so committed to figuring out everything we can about 31 is to make sure that the public going to the polls to vote knows that 31 is not going to dead end at the North Carolina line,” he said. “We need to reassure people that 31 is not a loose end. It’s going to happen.”

Several local leaders met with Tar Heel officials last week to find out about their willingness to build the necessary infrastructure on that side of the state line.

“They don’t have the same challenges getting highway money that we do in South Carolina,” said state Sen. Greg Hembree, R-North Myrtle Beach. “All along they’ve said, ‘If you give us the green light, we’ll find the money.’”

Along with the nearly $90 million already being considered for RIDE III, commissioners see several possibilities for finding the needed money to finish the project,

Steve Gosnell, the assistant county administrator for infrastructure and regulation, said there will be money leftover from the county’s most recent road-building program, RIDE II. Horry County Council plans to use $16 million of that extra cash on a new radio system for public safety officials, but there could be millions more than that available for other road projects.

Dyer said he would speak with council members about using the leftover RIDE II money for 31.

Gosnell also said the southern extension of 31, which is underway now, may come in under budget. That project is being paid for with money from the state’s Transportation Infrastructure Bank and any unused funding is required to go back to the bank. However, officials could request that money for the northern end of 31.

“There’s nothing preventing them from giving it right back to us,” Dyer said. “That money was already committed to 31 anyway. It’s just a matter of moving it from the south end to the north end.”

Along with the 31 extension, commissioners considered allocating some of the additional RIDE III money for widening a section of U.S. 701 in Loris ($7.5 million), connecting Fred Nash Boulevard with Coastal Grand Mall ($19.3 million) and expanding Kings Road near Restaurant Row (no estimate available).

Some other ideas discussed were making U.S. 501 six lanes from S.C. 544 to the Fourth Avenue bridge in Conway and widening a section of S.C. 90.

“That’s the biggest regret of the advisory committee,” Dyer said, referring to the panel that developed a list of projects the commission is considering. “Not being able to do something about Highway 90.”

Once commissioners develop a list road projects – their deadline for doing this is May 17 – Horry County Council will give an up-or-down vote on the list. If approved, the projects will then go to the voters, who have the final say on whether the one percent sales tax should pay for that work.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 11:26 PM with the headline "S.C. 31 extension to North Carolina gaining support, possibly funding."