For months, Interstate 73 supporters and opponents have been exchanging strong views about the new project that, when finished, will serve as a pipeline from Michigan to the Grand Strand.

But U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said even though there might be some disagreement right now, most South Carolinians will be praising the roadway after it’s built.

“This road will change South Carolina, not just the areas where it will be built,” Graham said during an an I-73 summit meeting in Columbia on Monday. “It will create an avenue to our coast that will generate economic opportunity for generations to come.”

Graham was one of the keynote speakers at the meeting at Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

During the meeting, officials announced that the national I-73 Association’s headquarters will be moving from West Virginia to Myrtle Beach.

South Carolina was chosen as the headquarters over the five other states involved with the interstate: Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

“It’s a billion dollar-plus project, but the fact that the states involved chose Myrtle Beach to head up the organization is a real coup for South Carolina,” Graham said.

It’s proposed that Brad Dean, who is the president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, serve the executive director of the agency after it moves.

Graham said state lawmakers’ devotion to the interstate made South Carolina the prime state to house the project’s headquarters.

“The General Assembly has endorsed this unanimously,” he said. “The congressional delegation from all areas of South Carolina has made it our top priority when it comes to road infrastructure for South Carolina.”

Graham also discussed some other changes that could come to the region as a result of the project, including economic development. It’s something that many local leaders hope will help alleviate the state’s unemployment.

“We’re doing many things to help with that unemployment situation. But I-73, we think, will be one of the keys to bring economic development to the entire Pee Dee — to Marlboro, Dillon, Marion, Florence — the whole Pee Dee area, which is a corner of the state that hasn’t been as fortunate as some of the other parts of the state,” said state Rep. Jim Battle Jr., who represents Marion County, which has the state’s second-highest unemployment rate.

Just some of the perks of having a interstate running through the region could include more jobs for local residents, an influx of money into the economy, an increase in tourism, and, eventually, industry, Battle said.

“It’s going to be the answer to a lot of the problems,” he said. “I mean, there are other things that have to be done. We have to continue to educate ourselves, we have to continue to have a community that people want to move to. We have to do those things, but this will make the access a lot easier.”

Graham said the interstate also would be essential for increased safety.

“When a hurricane comes to South Carolina, one thing we’ve learned is that we need better access off the coast in case of an emergency,” he said.

Officials at the meeting also discussed ways to fund the project, which likely will come from both the private and public sectors.

If it is completed, I-73 would run from the Myrtle Beach area north to Michigan. South Carolina’s section of the interstate, about 60 miles, would likely take at least 10 years to complete, provided the estimated $2 billon needed to build it is available.

The I-73 project has been put on a fast track by the SCDOT, which named it as the state’s No. 1 transportation priority. The Environmental Impact Study, which typically takes about five years, is expected to be completed in three years.