A road we don’t need, can’t afford

By Nancy Cave

(originally appears in Sep. 28's Sun News)

I-73, the proposed $2.4 billion interstate, is unnecessary and fiscally irresponsible. Here are a few of the glaringly obvious reasons why.

First, SCDOT has no money. Recently the department had to get a $52 million bailout from the federal government to pay its bills. Secretary of Transportation Robert St. Onge acknowledges this wasn’t a one time event; it could happen again. SCDOT’s lack of funds means SCDOT has no money for I-73. But fiscal mismanagement is not stopping SCDOT and its commissioners from pursuing I-73 with audacity and impunity.

Second, even if SCDOT were flush with money, I-73 is an unnecessary use of taxpayer dollars because there is a less expensive, more environmentally friendly alternative to get folks to the beach; S.C. 38/U.S. 501 is a four-lane highway used today by millions of tourists to get to the coast. To upgrade 38/501 to an expressway would cost $150 million vs. the $1.29 billion price tag affixed to the I-73 southern segment between I-95 and S.C. 22. $150 million vs. $1.29 billion; taxpayers, do the math! Upgrading 38/501 is a more flexible, cheaper, faster solution that meets the need to move people into and out of the beach.