Road Improvement and Development Effort

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Road Improvement and Development Effort or RIDE is a plan for road projects in Horry County, South Carolina, including Carolina Bays Parkway, Veterans Highway and Robert Grissom Parkway. The first phase, costing $1.1 billion, was being paid for by hospitality taxes. The second phase, called RIDE II, was being paid for through a one-cent sales tax approved by Horry County voters November 7, 2006. [1] [2] [3] RIDE III was being planned as of 2013 [4] and voters approved a penny tax in 2016. [5]

Contents

RIDE

In 1996, South Carolina voters turned down a one-cent sales tax for roads, and Buck Limehouse, the state's first DOT Commission chairman, started the State Infrastructure Bank. Commission member Gary Loftus became the first chairman of RIDE, which came up with the list of Horry County projects to use money from the bank. In the years 1995 through 2002, the state completed 27 years worth of road projects at a cost of $5 billion, including the RIDE projects. [6] The Fantasy Harbour Bridge, opened in July 2009, was the last RIDE project. [7] [8]

A 2.5 percent accommodations tax, and a 1.5 percent prepared foods tax, funds projects in the first phase of RIDE. Three-fifths of the tax went to RIDE projects, with the remainder for public safety, public works and infrastructure relating to tourism. [8] [9] On May 2, 2017, the Horry County Council voted to continue collecting the 1.5 percent hospitality fee first passed in 1996 and scheduled to end in 2019. Supporters of keeping the fee wanted to use revenues for Interstate 73. [10]

On November 7, 2011, Myrtle Beach city council member Wayne Gray asked area elected officials to consider using RIDE funds to pay for a portion of I-73. One possibility was to continue the RIDE I tax past 2023. [11]

RIDE II

The Horry County Council created the RIDE II Committee on April 17, 2001. It included 11 voting members plus the chairman of the S.C. DOT. The committee's purpose is to advise the county and state of road needs, study funding methods, and review projects under construction. [12]

The original list of projects included the northern section of Carolina Bays Parkway but did not provide funding for the southern section. [13] The first list for RIDE 2 released in April 2006, included 10 projects. [3] After the approval of a one-cent sales tax on November 7, 2006, the list included 15 projects totalling $425 million. The biggest of these were an interchange on U.S. Highway 17 next to the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, the widening of S.C. 707, and a bypass for Aynor. [2] Also included was the paving of International Drive from Robert Grissom Parkway to S.C. 90, providing an alternate route to Carolina Forest. [14]

The One-Cent Capital Projects Sales Tax began on May 1, 2007 intended to last up to seven years, generating $425,307,500; if the tax produced that amount before the seven years end, it was to be dropped. [15]

Nine of 15 RIDE II projects were under way or finished as a groundbreaking was held November 6, 2013 for the final section of Carolina Bays Parkway and the S.C. 707 widening. [4] Collection of the tax ended April 30, 2014, but RIDE III was already being planned. [16]

RIDE III

In March 2016, the RIDE III Sales Tax Commission completed a list of 20 projects to be funded by another one-cent tax. The projects on the list totalled $592 million. [17] The Horry County Council voted June 8 to let voters decide on the sales tax in November 2016, [18] which they did. Collection of the tax began May 1, 2017, and surplus funds from RIDE II would also be used. [5]

RIDE IV

RIDE IV was outlined in a county budget retreat in December 2021. At that time, it was expected projects would be selected by 2024. [19] Voters approved the sales tax on November 5, 2024. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horry County, South Carolina</span> County in South Carolina, United States

Horry County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 351,029. It is the fourth-most populous county in South Carolina. The county seat is Conway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 73</span> Interstate in North Carolina

Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–south Interstate Highway, currently located entirely within the US state of North Carolina. It travels 93.5 miles (150.5 km), from south of Ellerbe, North Carolina to northeast of Stokesdale, providing a freeway connection to Greensboro and Asheboro. Other than a short 9.5 mi (15.3 km) segment near the Piedmont Triad International Airport west of Greensboro, the interstate runs concurrently with at least one other route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtle Beach, South Carolina</span> City in South Carolina, United States

Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous 60-mile (97 km) stretch of beach known as the "Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. Its year-round population was 35,682 as of the 2020 census, making it the 13th-most populous city in South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Strand</span> Coastal area in South Carolina, US

The Grand Strand is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States, extending more than 60 miles (97 km) from Little River to Winyah Bay. It is located in Horry and Georgetown Counties on the northeastern South Carolina coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolina Forest, South Carolina</span> Census-designated place in South Carolina, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Highway 31</span> State highway in South Carolina

South Carolina Highway 31 (SC 31), also known as the Carolina Bays Parkway, is a 28.097-mile (45.218 km) six-lane, limited-access highway that parallels the Intracoastal Waterway around Myrtle Beach. The first phase opened on December 17, 2002, completing a 22-mile (35 km) link between U.S. Route 501 (US 501) and SC 9. The second phase opened in March 2005, running from US 501 southwest to S.C. Highway 544. The third phase opened on November 7, 2019, extending to SC 707. While usually referred to only as the Carolina Bays Parkway, the highway is also dedicated the John B. Singleton Parkway in memory of John B. Singleton, a former Myrtle Beach City Council member and police commissioner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farrow Parkway</span> Parkway in South Carolina, U.S.

Farrow Parkway is a four-lane, 3.5-mile (5.6 km) parkway that connects US 17 and US 17 Business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The $6.9 million roadway replaced a former two-lane roadway through the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base with funding from the city of Myrtle Beach funds and Horry County RIDE funds. Farrow Parkway is named after William G. Farrow who was a member of the Doolittle’s Raiders in World War II.

Robert Edge Parkway is a connection highway in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It begins at U.S. Route 17 (US 17) and Main Street, crosses the Intracoastal Waterway, has an interchange with South Carolina Highway 31 (SC 31) or the Carolina Bays Parkway, and terminates at an intersection with SC 90. The project consisted of upgrading Firetower Road, adding a new interchange for SC 31, expanding Main Street in North Myrtle Beach to accommodate the increase in traffic, and a 1,000-foot bridge (300 m) over the Intracoastal Waterway which includes a 10-foot-wide path (3.0 m) for walkers and bicycles. Formerly known as the Main Street Connector, the road has been named for Robert Edge Sr., the first mayor of North Myrtle Beach starting in 1968. For twelve years before that, Edge was the mayor of Crescent Beach, one of the four towns which, through Edge's efforts, became North Myrtle Beach. The road opened September 3, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freestyle Music Park</span> Defunct amusement park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Highway 707</span> State highway in South Carolina, United States

South Carolina Highway 707 (SC 707) is a 12.645-mile (20.350 km) state highway in Georgetown and Horry counties, in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Carolina, in the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It begins at U.S. Highway 17 Business in Murrells Inlet to US 17 across from Farrow Parkway near Socastee, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Highway 22</span> State highway in South Carolina

South Carolina Highway 22 (SC 22), also known as the Conway Bypass and Veterans Highway, is a four lane freeway that connects US 501 north of Conway, South Carolina, to US 17 in Myrtle Beach. The road was opened to traffic on May 4, 2001, six months ahead of schedule. It is slated to become part of Interstate 73 in the future. The road largely meets Interstate Highway standards, but in order to support increased Interstate traffic, its shoulders would need to be expanded to standard width.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Highway 544</span> State highway in South Carolina

South Carolina Highway 544 (SC 544) is a 13.710-mile (22.064 km) major four-lane state highway in Horry County, South Carolina. It connects the Surfside Beach and Conway areas. The highway in places and its former alignment in the Socastee area are called Dick Pond Road; Dick Pond is a water feature near its east end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Grissom Parkway</span>

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References

  1. ↑ Tritten, Travis, "1-penny road tax debated: Council puts RIDE funds back on table," The Sun News, June 21, 2006.
  2. 1 2 Tritten, Travis, "Horry readies RIDE 2: Finances, schedule must be settled," The Sun News, December 17, 2006.
  3. 1 2 Tritten, Travis, "RIDE 2 moves to review after 2nd phase released," The Sun News, April 26, 2006.
  4. 1 2 Rodriguez, Jason M. (2013-11-07). "Official: Ground breaking for S.C. 707 widening and S.C. 31 extension to restore faith in the system". The Sun News.
  5. 1 2 Hudson, Audrey (2016-12-13). "RIDE III road work gets a jump start". The Sun News.
  6. ↑ Wilson, Zane, "Officials cheer new DOT director," The Sun News, May 3, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Fantasy Harbour Bridge Opens in Myrtle Beach". SCDOT. July 2, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  8. 1 2 "Who Benefits From Tourism? Infrastructure". tourismworksforus.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  9. ↑ "Finance Department: Horry County Government". Archived from the original on 2010-03-07. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  10. ↑ Hudson, Audrey (2017-05-02). "Council denies tax break, votes to collect hospitality fees past expiration". The Sun News.
  11. ↑ Anderson, Lorena (2011-11-07). "Myrtle Beach, Horry County and legislators talk I-73, cell phones, taxes and more at joint meeting". The Sun News . Archived from the original on 2012-04-21. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
  12. ↑ "RIDE II Committee". Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  13. ↑ "Building Stopped: Horry council acts boldly to protect parkway path," The Sun News, March 19, 2007.
  14. ↑ "It's Our Road, Not DNR's," The Sun News, December 16, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Riding On A Penny" . Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  16. ↑ Hinnant, Lauren (2014-05-01). "Ride II tax ends, Horry County leaders look forward to potential Ride III". WBTW . Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  17. ↑ Hudson, Audrey (2016-03-12). "Priorities set, public to weigh in on RIDE III road projects". The Sun News. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  18. ↑ Hudson, Audrey (2016-06-08). "Sales tax hike for road projects? Horry County voters to decide". The Sun News.
  19. ↑ Shoemaker, Dale (2021-12-03). "Looking ahead to '22, Horry County leaders plan for more cops, stormwater projects, RIDE IV". The Sun News.
  20. ↑ Brewer, Elizabeth (2024-11-05). "Election 2024 results: What Horry County voters decided for sales tax referendum Ride 4". The Sun News.
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