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Felicia Soto has seen traffic drastically increase on Highway 90 over the last 14 years she鈥檚 lived off of the two-lane highway.

鈥淲ith the amount of homes and developments that have been built, we鈥檙e busting at the seam,鈥� Soto said. 鈥淎nd while I was a big advocate for International Drive, I helped fight for it, it鈥檚 a blessing and a curse because it really did open the floodgates to 90. And as soon as International went in, we started seeing development after development after development.鈥�

Soto said that because of a growing population and more cars on the road in Horry County, she is very much in support of continuing a one-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects in the county. She said the expansion of Highway 90 should be a priority and that when there are crashes on Highway 90, there often isn鈥檛 room for emergency vehicles to get through and that she鈥檚 seen backups last for hours.

This November, voters in Horry County could decide whether to continue paying a one cent sales tax for road improvements in the county, but there鈥檚 a big difference this time.

Unlike previous road taxes brought before Horry County voters, the new iteration of the referendum may propose that the tax last for 25 years, not seven 鈥� a shift that county leaders say would bring in more than $5 billion.

The most expensive project that鈥檚 proposed is a S.C. 22 extension 鈥� estimated to cost $1.5 billion 鈥� which is also known as SELL, the Southern Evacuation Lifeline that would be a new highway from U.S. 501 near Aynor to Surfside Beach and the Murrells Inlet area. It would essentially connect Highway 22 with U.S. 17.

The other larger-scale proposed projects include a new Conway river crossing ($860 million) and an I-73 connector to Marion County ($450 million).

The list also includes the widening of Highway 90 to four lanes ($745 million), widening 38th Avenue North from Robert Grissom Parkway to Kings Highway ($22 million), widening and realigning River Oaks Drive to four lanes ($142 million) as well as projects that were on the RIDE III shortlist that were not completed. It also includes paving 200 miles of dirt roads ($250 million) and resurfacing 400 miles of existing roadways ($185 million).

Another potential change is that the RIDE branding (an acronym for Road Improvement and Development Effort) could be no more. The longer timeframe is only feasible because the tax would be under a different state classification. RIDE I, II and III used what is called a 鈥渃apital projects tax鈥� and county leadership and the RIDE IV Commission is proposing that the next iteration use the transportation tax.

Horry County Chairman Johnny Gardner said that the branding would change if the transportation tax rather than the capital projects tax was introduced, potentially meaning the end of the RIDE moniker.

鈥淟egally it鈥檚 a different name, but we have the option available because this has to be voted on. Before it gets to the referendum, we could switch back if we wanted to,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to do these meetings to try to educate people. I believe it鈥檚 the right thing to do, but if I feel like we need to go to RIDE, we still have the option.鈥�

Timeline to November

A one percent 鈥� or penny 鈥� sales tax would likely bring in more than $100 million per year and $825 million in seven years, according to an Horry County presentation. If that is extended to 25 years, the tax would bring in more than $5 billion to go toward road projects. This takes into consideration the projected growth over the next two and a half decades.

鈥淭his is not a new tax,鈥� said commission member William Goldfinch. 鈥淭his is not an additional tax. It鈥檚 just a continuation of what we鈥檝e already been doing for three RIDE projects for over 20 years anyway. We鈥檙e not adding any more new taxes, and that鈥檚 critically important.鈥�

The Horry County Sales Tax Commission made up of six people from across the county has been tasked with coming up with a list of road projects that it will recommend to Horry County Council. This must be recommended by May. But Goldfinch, who is also on the Conway City Council, said he anticipates it may be recommended to council before then.

Like previous RIDE projects, the transportation tax and list of projects would require Horry County Council to approve an ordinance in three readings. There will also be a public hearing during that period. County council can鈥檛 make any changes to the recommendation 鈥� it must simply vote "yes" or "no."

If the county council approves the commission鈥檚 recommendation, which it must do so by mid-August in order to make it on the ballot in November, it will be up to the voters to ultimately decide.

鈥淚f this passes, we鈥檒l have our projects listed the same as RIDE. So if you could visualize it, a shorter list would be a RIDE list because you only have seven years of collection,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淚f you went 25 years, you could pretty much double that list depending on the cost of the projects.鈥�

Right now, the commission is on track to recommending the 25-year tax.

鈥淣early 60% of that penny sales tax is paid by tourists coming to the Grand Strand,鈥� Goldfinch said. 鈥淟et them share in this burden, if you will鈥therwise, what do we do, raise our property taxes so we can fund the construction of new roads? I don鈥檛 want to do that. I鈥檇 rather tourists do that.鈥�

But before the recommendation makes it to council, the county is seeking public input and is answering questions during public information sessions around the county.

The first meeting was held Tuesday in downtown Conway. Here鈥檚 a list of the upcoming sessions:

• Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 4-6 p.m. at the city of North Myrtle Beach City Hall Atrium, 1018 2nd Ave. S., North Myrtle Beach.
• Thursday, Feb. 1, from 4-6 p.m. at the Academy for Technology & Academics, 5639 Hwy. 701, Conway.
• Monday, Feb. 5, from 4-6 p.m. at the South Strand Recreation Center Multipurpose Room, 9650 Scipio Ln., Myrtle Beach.
• Wednesday, Feb. 7, from 4-6 p.m. at the James R Frazier Community Center Multipurpose Room, 1370 Bucksport Rd., Bucksport.
• Monday, Feb. 12, from 4-6 p.m. at the city of Myrtle Beach Train Depot, 851 Broadway St., Myrtle Beach.
• Thursday, Feb. 15, from 4-6 p.m. at the Carolina Forest Recreation Center Multipurpose Room, 2254 Carolina Forest Blvd., Myrtle Beach.

If voters say 鈥渘o鈥� in November, it鈥檚 back to the drawing board.

And county leaders couldn鈥檛 put a transportation question back on the ballot for two more years when it鈥檚 time for another General Election, said Horry County Attorney David Jordan. RIDE III collection would finish in spring 2025 and those projects would be completed.

鈥淎ll projects for RIDE IV would not have a funding mechanism,鈥� he said.

For or against?

Mike Grubb and his wife moved to Horry County 17 years ago. He worries there will be other taxes stacked on top of the proposed 25-year penny sales tax.

鈥淚f they recommend this tax obligation for this very long period of time, be guaranteed that there will be other attempts some years down the road to piggyback new taxes on top of it,鈥� he said. 鈥淧oliticians, supervisors and the like have very short memories when trying to shake more money out of taxpayers. If there is a penny sales tax, it must be for a shorter period of time. It鈥檚 the only way we taxpayers can control the poor spending habits of the supervisors.鈥�

At the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation annual meeting last Thursday, President and CEO of Global Location Strategies DiDi Caldwell told a group of local leaders that the tax would be a good idea and said one of Myrtle Beach鈥檚 weaknesses is the lack of an interstate highway.

鈥淚 can not 100% guarantee you that if you build it, they will come. But I can 100% guarantee you that if you don鈥檛 build it, they will not come,鈥� Caldwell said. 鈥淚f you do not have the sites and the infrastructure to support these companies and their projects, they鈥檙e going to go to the places that do have it. That鈥檚 the only political thing I鈥檒l say today is just vote yes.鈥�

I-73 and SELL

For the last 30 years, 鈥渆verybody鈥� has talked about I-73, council chairman Gardner says.

鈥淭he last 20 years people [have] talked about the SELL,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e never going to get those projects done on a RIDE program. Seven years is not going to generate the amount of income that we need to build those projects.鈥�

Wayne Gray was the chairman of the 18-member RIDE IV sales tax advisory committee 鈥� a different group which met before the current six-member commission 鈥� and said when the committee began its work of determining and shortlisting projects, they became aware of the possibility of the longer tenure. The transportation tax statute was amended since the last RIDE referendum passed, making it possible for the transportation tax to be used instead of the capital projects tax if the county decided to do so.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the same one percent sales tax voted on by referendum, but it鈥檚 a piece of legislation that, prior to last year, Horry County could not use,鈥� Gray said. 鈥淭he language was amended at the state level, so now Horry County is going to use it. It鈥檚 the same one percent tax, the really big difference is it can be of a period not to exceed 25 years.鈥�

The responsibility of shortlisting projects and determining the next steps of the potential tax shifted from the 18-member RIDE committee to a six-member commission. The members include three county appointees, a Myrtle Beach appointee, a Conway appointee and a North Myrtle Beach appointee.

Councilman J. Baldwin, the North Myrtle Beach appointee, said he believes that the investment in infrastructure would result in safer roads in Horry County. Baldwin said the committee is leaning toward recommending that the county propose a tax for 25 years.

鈥淪ometimes you would have a project that gets only a portion of its funding,鈥� Baldwin said. 鈥淚t may take some time for mitigation and eminent domain and stuff like that. So, especially in the RIDE program, when you only have seven years, sometimes it would take more time just to get that project approved and permitted than the whole RIDE term.鈥�

Though the transportation and capital projects taxes are designated differently by the state of South Carolina, Gardner said the way the money can be spent is essentially the same, but that the tenure of the tax is the only notable difference.

鈥淚t鈥檚 basically the same except the only difference is 鈥� they both have to be approved by the voters and the projects have to be listed. The difference is a RIDE program is limited to seven years. The transportation tax is allowed to go up to 25,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淲e can decide. We can do seven, we can do 10, the maximum would be 25.鈥�

One potential problem with a 25-year tax is the possibility that a new project becomes a priority before the 25-year term of the tax is up. If a road project becomes a need five years into the 25 year term, it would not be possible to fund that project with transportation tax until a later date if it didn鈥檛 make the list.

鈥淪ome people would say that鈥檚 too long. The argument against it would be 20 years from now, I don鈥檛 know where the priority of roads would be,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淏ut I know right now where we have some and the only way that we could get that done [is the longer term.]鈥�

And some say with the projects taking years to get started and eventually complete, getting started as soon as possible is key.

Goldfinch said many of these larger-scale projects take time due to permitting, land acquisitions and other hurdles. He said it鈥檚 possible another Conway river crossing could take 18 years.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got to get started,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the only way to do that is to know you鈥檝e got a funding mechanism in place for the next two and a half decades.

鈥淲ith 25 years, everybody gets what they want.鈥�

To stay up-to-date with the latest on the proposed projects, visit .

Editor's note: This story is part of our ongoing series, "A brand new RIDE?" Our publication will be highlighting parts of the county and its needs for better road infrastructure throughout this year. If you have a story you'd like to share, please email newstips@myhorrynews.com and mention this series in the subject line.