On Aug. 21, a crowd gathered inside the Myrtle Beach Convention Center heard President Donald Trump assure Horry County voters that the proposed Interstate 73 corridor is “all funded” and ready to begin construction. The comment came during a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Darline Graham Nordone, who was then facing Rep. Ralph Norman in a Republican runoff.
Election outcome and local reaction
Four days after the rally, Graham Nordone defeated Norman with 52.3% of the vote, earning the Republican nomination for the November special election. About 73% of voters in Horry County chose Nordone, a result that many local observers see as a direct endorsement of the highway promise.
While the rally’s applause was loud, the promise of funding remains unverified. No state or federal agency has produced documentation confirming a federal commitment, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) says it is still waiting for identified money before work can begin.
What the paperwork shows
President Trump repeated the funding claim on stage and later in a WMBF News interview, naming Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the official backing the project. However, the interview offered no dollar amount, program name, fiscal year, or agency that could be cited as the source of the money.
Federal Highway Administration Administrator Sean McMaster told The Post and Courier in April that I‑73 was not on the agency’s immediate radar, though he expressed willingness to cooperate with the state. That statement predates the rally by four months, and no subsequent federal grant, obligation, or appropriations line has been reported.
State budget and local financing
Governor Henry McMaster has omitted I‑73 from his executive budgets for 2024, 2025, and 2026. In earlier years he advocated a $300 million package drawn from pandemic relief funds and a projected state surplus, but that request has not appeared in recent budgets.
Locally, Horry County voters approved the RIDE IV sales‑tax program in November 2024, earmarking roughly $450 million for the I‑73 connector between Highway 22 and the Marion County line. The county’s match covers up to half of the construction cost for that segment, but the project’s total estimate is near $2 billion. Without a confirmed federal share, the county’s contribution remains conditional.
Naming controversy and accountability
State Rep. Heather Crawford introduced legislation to name the South Carolina stretch of the highway the “President Donald J. Trump Highway.” The House passed the measure, and Horry County Council adopted a supporting resolution that includes a claw‑back provision: the naming support is withdrawn if funding is not secured by Jan. 20, 2029.
Conservation groups have warned that construction could damage the Little Pee Dee River and surrounding wetlands, while the Horry County Democratic Party objected that residents were not consulted on the naming. The local Chamber of Commerce, however, has long argued that interstate access is essential for regional economic growth and welcomed the president’s endorsement.
What to watch for
Three concrete developments could turn the promise into a verifiable commitment:
- A federal grant award, discretionary award announcement, or line in an appropriations bill that specifically allocates money to I‑73.
- Official confirmation from the Federal Highway Administration or the Department of Transportation that funds have been earmarked.
- A signed construction contract with a clear funding source, allowing SCDOT to move beyond right‑of‑way acquisition into actual building.
Until one of those milestones occurs, the highway remains a political promise rather than a funded project, and Horry County taxpayers continue to shoulder the local share while awaiting federal action.
Original reporting: MyrtleBeachSC News — read the source article.
