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Myrtle Beach Interstate


GSP Tiger

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I'm sure many people are aware of the future Interstate 73 coming to Myrtle Beach one day.  I'm wondering if it is possible to extend Interstate 20 out to the coast.  Any comments?

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That was attempted in the '80s under the Campbell administration. The last time the gas tax was raised, it was to fund an extention of I-20 to the beach. Environmental issues around crossing the Pee Dee River prevented the construction. I-73 is basically in place as a replacement for an extended I-20.

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Heres my take:

I-73 parallels US 52 from Cheraw to North Charleston (connects I-26)

I-20 runs from Florence to Wilmington paralleling US 76 and US 74/76

I-74 remains its same planned course going to Myrtle Beach

This way, you have three interstates going to all different places. Improves hurricane evacuation and attracts additional tourism for Wilmington, Myrtle Beach and Charleston. Why should two interstates go to Myrtle Beach, one possibly going to Wilmington if not two for Myrtle Beach and none going to Charleston? Does not make any sense.

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Charleston NIMBYs have made sure that two different interstate proposals were defeated here. They also fought against the 526 loop but that made it through for the most part, though we still don't have it looping through Johns Island still. =\

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When will "I-99" be built from the Savannah area through Charleston, Myrtle Bch, and Wilmington all the way through Norfolk and Delaware giving an alternate to I-95?

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Thats a pipe dream coastal interstate between Hampton Roads and Wilmington, DE running along US 13.

The actual I-99 is in central Pennslyvania

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Myrtle Beach has way more visitors diving in than Charleston. While I do agree that Charleston is underserved by interstates, it is not in dire need of more.

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While I understand your ire about traffic in Horry County, the Charleston Container Port is the 4th biggest in the USA. The Charleston Customs House ranks 6th nationally in dollar value of shipments ($39 billion). Cargo and trade and the connection of I-26 to I-95 are, IMO, far more important than getting Yankees to the beach faster :P . I-26 should be widened to at least 6 lanes from CHS to GSP.

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While I understand your ire about traffic in Horry County, the Charleston Container Port is the 4th biggest in the USA.  The Charleston Customs House ranks 6th nationally in dollar value of shipments ($39 billion).  Cargo and trade and the connection of I-26 to I-95 are, IMO, far more important than getting Yankees to the beach faster :P .  I-26 should be widened to at least 6 lanes from CHS to GSP.

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Much of the output that goes through Charleston's ports is via rail. For example BMW ships all of its vehicles via rail and imports parts via the same method.

Norfolk Southern Connections

mapnorfolksouthern.jpg

CSX Connections

mapcsx.jpg

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I think that I-95 should have been built through Charleston to begin with.

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Exactly, but I guess when I-95 was built it's engineers were thinking in terms of using the shortest distance to route vehicles from one state to the next.

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All I know is that a great deal of containerized cargo is trucked to Charlotte for distribution from Charleston. I have sat in traffic on I-26 far more times than I care to sandwiched between 18-wheelers with Sea-Land and Maersk written on the sides.

interstate_graphic_sm.jpg

(metro, I've been to the website, too.)

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Exactly, but I guess when I-95 was built it's engineers were thinking in terms of using the shortest distance to route vehicles from one state to the next.

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It is my understanding that I-95 was routed between Columbia and Charleston as a compromise, since both cities wanted it to run through their area.

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Good point monsoon. I will add that though you can't see it on those maps, there is a rail line running from Spartanburg to Charleston.

I think that I-95 should have been built through Charleston to begin with.

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Absolutely, Spartan. I-95, with its route going right past Savannah and directly through cities such as Jacksonville and Baltimore, it makes far more common sense for I-95 to have been built going past West Ashley and intersecting I-26 in between Summerville and US 78. Charleston would have boomed many years earlier, and would look quite different today if that happened. And Spartan, you are correct about why I-95 was built in the middle of nowhere. Cola wanted it as well, and the location was a compromise. I think that is also part of the fuel for the animosity between the citizens of both cities.

Charleston, whether its residents oppose it or not, does need another interstate. Port traffic and the growth going on there demands that Charleston understand it is no longer a small town, and it must have better infrastructure for traffic coming into and leaving the city. I like the idea of I-73 going to Charleston and having I-20 extended to MB, or I-74 going to MB. The other idea mentioned earlier of I-14 going from Augusta to Charleston is far better. My hometown needs a southernly route to link it to I-95, and I-14 could start at the proposed Glenn McConnell Expressway extension and head west to I-95, intersecting it south of Walterboro. The route could be made so it wouldn't be anywhere near the plantations and gardens, which I'm sure preservationists would complain about.

I never thought of I-14 before, but THAT seems to be the better way to give my hometown more accessibility. As for MB, I-20's extension seems far more logical, but the "genuises" in this state haven't even thought of it. I-73 seems to be the better option, though, because it would help other towns in the Pee Dee such as Bennettsville, Dillon, and Marion and it gives more of a direct route from the North where most of the tourists will come from.

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That was attempted in the '80s under the Campbell administration.  The last time the gas tax was raised, it was to fund an extention of I-20 to the beach.  Environmental issues around crossing the Pee Dee River prevented the construction.  I-73 is basically in place as a replacement for an extended I-20.

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^^ See my previous post.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am aware of some discussions extending Interestate 20 up to Wilmington.  If that ever did happen, would it be a more feasible idea to extend it upward to Virginia Beach?

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Id like to see I-20 go to Wilmington as it makes sense for it to run there from Florence following US 76 (SC) and US 74-76 (NC) corridors. I-74 remains at its planned course to Myrtle Beach and I-73 should go to Charleston (connecting I-26 between North Charleston and Summerville via running along the US 52 corridor).

No, it would not be feasible because existening highways like I-95 and US 58 do fine reaching Virginia Beach from Florence (I-20's eastern terminus). There is a link below that talks about a Raleigh to Norfolk interstate on AARoads.

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  • 11 months later...

Id like to see I-20 go to Wilmington as it makes sense for it to run there from Florence following US 76 (SC) and US 74-76 (NC) corridors. I-74 remains at its planned course to Myrtle Beach and I-73 should go to Charleston (connecting I-26 between North Charleston and Summerville via running along the US 52 corridor).

No, it would not be feasible because existening highways like I-95 and US 58 do fine reaching Virginia Beach from Florence (I-20's eastern terminus). There is a link below that talks about a Raleigh to Norfolk interstate on AARoads.

I hear from Charlotte that NC wants SC to extend I-20 to Wilmington which will go slightly north (1/4 mile) of the downtown to join at the end of I-40. That would be the more probable idea. However, I keep reading that SC is opposed to the idea of extending I-20. I-73 would go to MB so traffic from Florence would go out 20 to 73 and to MB. MB could get more tourist from the NC side as well.

However, I laugh at the idea of I-74 going partly to Wilmington and then turning south and then actually West to go towards MB but not quite getting there? The AARoads and other sites have maps of it, it looks more like a child drew it with a crayon and poof! A new freeway from Savannah, Charleston, MB and Wilmington would be nice. Just keep in mind... do you really want that much traffic coming into your small town? :blink:

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