Graham tells Dillon not to oppose
route
Friday, Jul 07, 2006 - 10:56 PM
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Andy Cole
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Printer FriendlyBENNETTSVILLE -- Lindsey Graham, the
senior U.S. Senator for South Carolina, had words for Dillon County
leaders who are arguing for another route for Interstate 73 on
Friday: "Don't get lost in the small details."
Dillon County's Economic Development Board asked the South Carolina Department of Transportation to change its preferred route for I-73 because they'd like to see it run closer to the City of Dillon.
But Graham said changing the route could risk federal funding for the project.
"Without a route, sooner rather than later, the less likely we are to get funding," he said at a meeting of the North Eastern Strategic Alliance's executive committee Friday.
"There's always someone who's going to be mad, and someone who's going to be happy with a road project," Graham said. "But we can't let this get caught up in the politics of routing because it hurts our chances for funding."
Graham said he spoke Friday morning with a group of Dillon County business leaders who want the interstate to run on the outskirts of Dillon rather than west of Latta. He said he told them they could hold up the project if they continued to protest SCDOT's Preferred Southern Route.
"They didn't like the message too much, but they were pretty good about it," Graham said. "I told them, don't look at I-73 if you don't get the routing you want."
Graham said instead of griping about the fact that I-73 will not pass through Dillon, county and municipal officials should be looking at ways to take advantage of the routing chosen by SCDOT.
"The belief that if you don't get it right by you, it won't have any economic impact is just dead wrong," he said. "You can always find ways for people to share in the bounty of I-73."
Graham was instrumental in securing $81 million in federal funding to begin the environmental impact study for the I-73 project. The cost of I-73 is expected to be about $2.1 billion, with some of the funding coming from tolls on the road and the bulk of it coming from federal funds.
Graham met with Dillon County officials during a three-county tour in the Pee Dee. In addition to Dillon, he made stops at Bennettsville in Marlboro County and at Chesterfield in Chesterfield County.
Dillon County's Economic Development Board asked the South Carolina Department of Transportation to change its preferred route for I-73 because they'd like to see it run closer to the City of Dillon.
But Graham said changing the route could risk federal funding for the project.
"Without a route, sooner rather than later, the less likely we are to get funding," he said at a meeting of the North Eastern Strategic Alliance's executive committee Friday.
"There's always someone who's going to be mad, and someone who's going to be happy with a road project," Graham said. "But we can't let this get caught up in the politics of routing because it hurts our chances for funding."
Graham said he spoke Friday morning with a group of Dillon County business leaders who want the interstate to run on the outskirts of Dillon rather than west of Latta. He said he told them they could hold up the project if they continued to protest SCDOT's Preferred Southern Route.
"They didn't like the message too much, but they were pretty good about it," Graham said. "I told them, don't look at I-73 if you don't get the routing you want."
Graham said instead of griping about the fact that I-73 will not pass through Dillon, county and municipal officials should be looking at ways to take advantage of the routing chosen by SCDOT.
"The belief that if you don't get it right by you, it won't have any economic impact is just dead wrong," he said. "You can always find ways for people to share in the bounty of I-73."
Graham was instrumental in securing $81 million in federal funding to begin the environmental impact study for the I-73 project. The cost of I-73 is expected to be about $2.1 billion, with some of the funding coming from tolls on the road and the bulk of it coming from federal funds.
Graham met with Dillon County officials during a three-county tour in the Pee Dee. In addition to Dillon, he made stops at Bennettsville in Marlboro County and at Chesterfield in Chesterfield County.
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