The N.C. Department of Transportation Board on Thursday unanimously approved an agreement with South Carolina on the connection points for Interstate 73 and Interstate 74.

The agreement was reached in a Feb. 11 summit in Myrtle Beach. The S.C. DOT commission approved the pact the following week.

The agreement links I-73 in the area of S.C. 38 south of Rockingham, N.C., and I-74 to the Carolina Bays Parkway.

The resolution passed Thursday by the N.C. DOT board authorized the staff to immediately begin working with S.C. DOT staff on the projects.

The N.C. DOT issued a statement on behalf of the department. "We are pleased with the mutual agreement on the routes of I-74 and I-73 near our state lines. We look forward to working with South Carolina as we continue to develop these vital corridors in order to further economic development and enhance safety and mobility in both states," the statement said.

I-73 is planned to run from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to Myrtle Beach. North Carolina has completed parts of its portion of the highway. South Carolina was concerned about the link between the two states because years of negotiation had not produced a definite agreement.

North Carolina also has built part of I-74, which splits off from I-73 at Rockingham and heads east.

The state plans to build the road to Brunswick County, N.C. Somewhere in that area, it would turn southward to connect with Carolina Bays Parkway.

South Carolina's study of its portion of I-73 is under way. Preliminary proposed routes for the section between Interstate 95 and Myrtle Beach will be presented to the public for questions and comment next week. The meetings will be Tuesday at Dillon High School and Thursday at Myrtle Beach High School.

Both meetings are from 4 to 7 p.m. People can come any time during those hours.