Skip to main content

Poll shows a majority of SC Residents support I-73

Image
By
Recently, WPDE-TV in Myrtle Beach (ABC) and the Zogby International conducted a statewide poll on how residents view I-73.

We asked two questions. The first, whether South Carolinians feel it's important to build an interstate to Myrtle Beach. A clear majority say yes, it's important.
Statewide:
66% - important.
33% - not important
1% - unsure.

When asked whether an interstate should be built to Myrtle Beach for hurricane evacuation purposes, the number jumps. Not only that, the number who believe it's "very" important is higher in the midlands and lowcountry, than it is here on the coast.
Statewide:
82% - important
18% - not important
Disclaimer:

The article doesn't state how many residents were polled and what the margin of error is/was. The poll seems to have been done at the same time the station and Zogby ran a statewide poll for the SC Presidential primaries. In one poll, 512 South Carolina Republicans were polled with a 4.5% margin of error. No data was given on the amount of Democrats polled, quite possibly around the same.

So possibly 1000 South Carolina residents may have been asked about I-73 in this poll.

Story:
Massive support for interstate to Myrtle Beach --WPDE-TV

Commentary:
The results don't surprise me, and the article does state the biggest benefit to this poll is that lobbyists (The I-73 Corridor Association) can and will use this data to influence state and federal funding to the project.

There is no doubt that better and more efficient evacuation routes from the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand Area is necessary. Currently, US 501 is the only full four lane highway that runs from I-95 to the beach. The route is at-grade which makes reversing lanes (a feature used on Interstates and other freeways for coastal evacuation) next to impossible. SC Highway 9 is another four-lane highway that leads out of North Myrtle Beach. However, it is a two lane highway that runs through small towns for 34 miles north of Green Sea to Dillon and I-95, and to my knowledge there are no plans to upgrade SC 9 to a four lane here.

Because I-73 will be access controlled, local authorities and SCDOT's ability to reverse the highway is much easier. Gates can be used at southbound ramps blocking traffic from getting on the highway when a reverse flow is in use. One example of this is in Georgia on Interstate 16.

I haven't seen studies of this yet...but I would be interested in seeing how much evacuation traffic I-73 would hold, and how much of an improvement in evacuation time and flow I-73 will have over existing plans.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more