South Carolina officials have given the stamp of approval to name a proposed interstate highway after President Donald Trump.
State Representative Heather Ammons Crawford filed a bill last Tuesday to name the expansion of Interstate 73 the “President Donald J. Trump Highway.”
Officials are looking to expand I-73, a north-south highway running the length of North Carolina, down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Horry County, where the popular vacation town is located, does not have direct access to an interstate highway, which local leaders say would help people flee during hurricane season, according to MyHorryNews.
While the new section of the interstate has not yet been built, officials in South Carolina have enthusiastically offered to name it after Trump.
“President Donald J. Trump is the greatest President of our lifetime. During his first administration, he secured the permit that made I-73 shovel-ready after decades of delay,” Crawford said in a press release.
“From the Grand Stand to Pee Dee, this road means jobs and opportunity for South Carolina families and businesses. Naming this highway for President Trump honors a president whose leadership put America First and secured his place in American history.”
The Republican state representative said the expansion would “reshape transportation in Horry County, have an estimated financial impact of $3.6 billion, and sustain some 20,528 jobs by 2040,” according to the report.
The project would also provide motorists with “33 percent time savings” resulting in “cost savings that could reach $172 million in 2040,” Crawford said.
During Trump’s first term, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a federal permit authorizing construction of the highway.
Local leaders had been advocating for such an expansion for decades, saying it would strengthen hurricane evacuation efforts and support growth in the area. However, it had been unable to move forward without the permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In November 2024, voters in Horry County also approved the RIDE IV program, a proposed 25-year and $6.6 billion transportation initiative. The vote approved $450 million in local matching funds to construct I-73 from Highway 22 to the Marion County line in North Carolina, according to MyHorryNews.
Crawford believes with the permit and local funding approved, the interstate expansion is closer than ever before, according to the report.
Horry County’s transportation committee has a resolution to back the naming on its Tuesday agenda. The measure has also been referred to the House Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions for action, according to WBTW.
