Free Republic

MYRTLE BEACH — Environmental groups are challenging the federal permits that allow construction of Interstate 73, a project that is the longtime dream of Grand Strand tourism officials. The lawsuit was filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of the Coastal Conservation League. It claims the Army Corps of Engineers relied on an outdated environmental study and did not consider alternatives to I-73 as it issued permits this June to begin work on the road, therefore violating federal law. Catherine Wannamaker, an attorney for the SELC, said that the agencies involved in issuing the permits were stuck on...

AGENCY LOBBYING HARD FOR MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR BOONDOGGLE South Carolina’s corrupt transportation “leaders” still desperately want to foist Interstate 73 on dirt poor Palmetto State taxpayers … even as government’s embarrassing inability to do basic maintenance continues to be on display all over the state.How desperate are our powerful “roads czars” to get this Interstate built? Let’s recap …First, they’ve spent more than $100 million on an interchange for the highway (even though it’s not clear if it will ever be built).Next they’ve proposed spending millions more on wetlands mitigation related to the road (again, even though it’s not clear if...

I was interested to read the article from The Sun News on Thursday about the last-minute delay of the permit to pave International Drive. This project will take thousands of cars off of the gridlock of Highway 501, and relieve congestion in Carolina Forest. On the day before we were to receive the permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coastal Conservation League filed an appeal. It seems they want the road to be redesigned to include multiple bear crossings, at a cost of millions of dollars to the taxpayers of Horry County. That’s millions of scarce taxpayer dollars...