Interstate 73 was identified as a high priority route from Michigan to South Carolina in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act (ISTEA) that the US Congress passed in 1991. This Website provides information regarding the portion of Interstate 73 for which environmental studies are being performed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
The study area for I-73 in South Carolina follows the Great Pee Dee River to US 378 west of Conway, travels along US 378 to US 501 and follows US 501 to the coast. It then proceeds up the coast to the North Carolina state line and then runs along the state line northwest to the Great Pee Dee River. This study area is divided into two projects. The Northern Project will tie to Interstate 73/74 in the Rockingham/Hamlet, North Carolina region and run south across the South Carolina/North Carolina state line through Marlboro and Dillon Counties to a connection with Interstate 95. The Southern Project will continue from Interstate 95 and run to State Route 22 (Conway Bypass, or Veteran's Highway) in the Myrtle Beach/Conway area. The Northern and Southern Projects are shown in the maps to the right.
PROJECT UPDATE - IMPORTANT PROJECT NEWS:
The Record of Decision (ROD) for the Southern Project has been issued.
On February 8, 2008, S.C. Secretary of Transportation H.B. “Buck” Limehouse and U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Thomas Barrett signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for I-73 South during a brief ceremony in Myrtle Beach. The ROD represents the final approval of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and completes the environmental review process for the I-73 South Project. The ROD, approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), locks in the Selected Alternative. The FHWA approval of the ROD also permits the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to begin expending currently available federal funding in the acquisition of right of way for the project.
In the press release for the signing ceremony released by the SCDOT, Deputy Secretary Barrett was quoted as saying, “The Record of Decision represents a major milestone for the I-73 South project. This important step was reached in a little over thee years, far ahead of the national average of closer to six years for projects similar to I-73”.
A link to the Record of Decision has been added at the bottom of this page.
An electronic version of the Conceptual Plans, showing the location of the Selected Alternative for I-73 South, has been added to this Website. It may be found under the Southern Corridor-Conceptual Plans page.
Acquisition of New Right of Way
As stated above, the SCDOT is now able to use federal funds to begin the acquisition of new right of way for the new interstate. During their September 2007 meeting, the SCDOT Commission voted to spend $80 million of the funding that has been allocated for I-73 to purchase new right of way. While the schedule for right of way acquisition has not yet been finalized, it is anticipated that the acquisition could begin by late 2008. It is anticipated that those tracts that are projected to be total takes would begin to be acquired earlier this year.
The SCDOT follows a right of way acquisition process that is designed to help protect the rights of property owners. When the acquisition process begins, affected property owners will be contacted by a SCDOT Right of Way agent to schedule a time to meet and explain the entire acquisition process. After that meeting, a certified property appraisal is completed and an offer is made for the property. Those persons who will be required to be relocated will be provided with information regarding the availability of suitable replacement property, as well compensation for items such as relocation expenses. No one will be forced to vacate their home until this entire process has been accomplished.
The SCDOT published information concerning the right of way acquisition process in a booklet entitled "Highways and You". A link to this booklet may be found at the bottom of this page.
General Project Status of the Northern Project (I-95 to the Rockingham/Hamlet
Area of North Carolina)-
The Project Team is continuing to perform field investigations along the route of the Preferred Alternative Corridor. These field investigations include locating wetlands, cultural resources, potential habitat for federally protected species, and other elements necessary to determine an alignment that best reduces impacts to the natural and the human environments. Based on these field investigations, as well as comments received from the resource and regulatory agencies and the public, the Project Team has also been evaluating several modifications to the Preferred Alternative shown during the public Hearings. Revisions to the alignment are considered when they would result in a net reduction of impacts to the environment. It is possible that some additional alignment revisions will be made.
The SCDOT Project Team is coordinating its efforts within the state of North Carolina with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
The Project Team is also working to prepare the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Northern Project. Once the FEIS for the Northern Project has been completed later this year, we will anticipate the issuance of a ROD for this project.
Additional information regarding both the Northern Project and the Southern Project is available on their respective Pages.
Other Project Information:
Notices of Intent
Northern Project (52kb PDF file) First published on August 9, 2004. Revised Notice of Intent published on July 22, 2005
Southern Project (58kb PDF file) - Published on August 9, 2004.
Record of Decision – I-73 South
Record of Decision (344kb PDF file) - Signed on February 8, 2008
Project Newsletters
The Project Team periodically makes Project Newsletters available to the public through this Website. These newsletters are intended to inform the public about the progress of the environmental studies, as well as to educate the public about specific aspects of the project.
Issue No. 1(477kb PDF file)
Issue No. 2 (2.24mb PDF file)
The SCDOT Right of Way Acquisition Process
“Highways and You” (487kb PDF file)
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