"Alliance scouts South Carolina counties for regional airport sites"

Friday, May 7, 2004

Alliance scouts counties for regional airport sites
By Zane Wilson
The Myrtle Beach (SC) Sun News


COLUMBIA - Sites in Marion County are being scouted for a regional airport,
with the goal of locating it on or near Interstate 73.

Legislative members of the North Eastern Strategic Alliance, which promotes
economic development, said the combination of I-73, an international airport
and an international trade center are the group's top priorities.

Sen. Yancey McGill, D-Kingstree, said Marion County has the best potential
for a new airport. It is about halfway between the region's population hubs
of Myrtle Beach and Florence and has enough open land to fill the need, he
said.

Fred DuBard of Florence, an alliance member and chairman of Coastal Carolina
University's board, is head of the airport committee searching for 5,000 or
6,000 acres, McGill said.

The intention is that the Myrtle Beach and Florence airports would continue
to serve the smaller jets, he said. Myrtle Beach just broke ground on an
airport expansion.

Myrtle Beach and Horry County have agreed that each will spend $100,000
toward the cost of a regional airport study. The alliance and the state are
expected to come up with the rest of the $600,000 expected cost of the
study.

The alliance will work with residents and officials in the member counties
on the new airport's location, McGill said.

The airport needs to be located on or close to I-73 to get the maximum
benefit, he said.

"It stands to reason that sites for the international airport should be
easily accessible to the interstate," said Rep. Doug Jennings,
D-Bennettsville, chairman of the alliance's I-73 committee.

Rep. Alan Clemmons, R-Myrtle Beach, is president of the S.C. I-73
Association as well as an alliance member. He said the alliance is in a
unique position to help guide the location of the airport so it takes
advantage of I-73.

The alliance said gaining support for the regional airport can go on while
the location of the highway is under study.

A mile-wide path for I-73 will be chosen within three years, said Betty
Mabry, director of the state Department of Transportation.

It will take another year and a half after that to determine the exact
route, she said.

Everything depends on the studies, and they would be almost impossible to do
in a shorter time, Mabry said.

"If you gave us $10 jillion today, we couldn't build [I-73]," she said.

Soon, the DOT's road consultants will begin meeting with area residents
about the road, Mabry said.

"We're going to start with some focus groups and then expand out," she said.

The I-73 Web site also should be operating within a month, Mabry said.
Residents can track the studies, events and construction on the site. It
will be linked to the DOT's site.

I-73 is planned to run from near Detroit to Myrtle Beach. Its 80-mile route
in South Carolina is estimated to cost $1 billion to $2 billion.

What's the deal?

The intention is that the Myrtle Beach and Florence airports would continue
to serve the smaller jets. Myrtle Beach just broke ground on an airport
expansion.


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