‘Terrific idea’: Gov. McMaster supports naming proposed I-73 after Trump

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Gov. Henry McMaster voiced support on Monday for naming the proposed I-73 after President Donald Trump.

During the Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Travel in Myrtle Beach, McMaster expressed approval to name the proposed I-73 the President Donald J. Trump Highway.

“I think that’s a terrific idea,” McMaster said. “I think it would be very nice to have a street, a road, a highway named after Donald Trump.”

PAST I-73 COVERAGE:

• SCDOT makes progress on right-of-way acquisition for proposed I-73
• Funding to bring I-73 to Grand Strand not included in McMaster’s executive budget
• ‘Let’s seize this opportunity’: McMaster’s executive budget calls for $300 million investment into I-73
• Horry County Council rejects plan to help fund I-73, passes Highway 90 funding
• Horry County leaders react to additional federal funding to help complete I-73
• Horry County passes resolution supporting Trump Highway naming for proposed I-73

Rep. Heather Crawford, R-District 68, introduced the bill in January to name the proposed I-73 the President Donald J. Trump Highway.

Crawford’s bill was referred to the committee on invitations and memorial resolutions.

Funding for I-73 was left out of McMaster’s executive budget in 2024, 2025, and 2026. McMaster does support expanding I-73, but he thinks the project needs more local support.

In the years before 2024, the governor had asked state lawmakers to set aside $300 million for the project. The 2024 budget marked the first year he kept it out.

The cities of Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach have been advocates for the expansion of I-73. The two passed resolutions committing money to the project in 2021.

Horry County Council rejected a 2021 plan to help fund the massive project, saying it wanted to see whether the federal government and other local municipalities would contribute to its completion.

In November 2024, Horry County residents voted in favor of funding RIDE IV, which included $450 million in funding for the construction of I-73.

It’s been noted that the funding would come “provided that South Carolina Department of Transportation of related entity has entered into construction contract(s) for the completion of I-73 from Horry County to I-95.”

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