Refrigerated Trailer for Rent in Myrtle Beach, SC

The Port to Port Expressway expansion project is slated to begin in Mt. Pleasant this Fall.

A $250 million project aims to widen Highway 41 to relieve heavy congestion in the Mount Pleasant area of South Carolina.

As of March 2026, it is moving toward a critical eminent domain vote to acquire the necessary land.

This would be the first initial effort outside of Horry County to expand the Port to Port connector from Interstate 526 in Charleston to Interstate 74 in Wilmington North Carolina.

The Port to Port Expressway portion in Horry County is currently called Highway 31. The Highway 31 portion of the Port to Port Expressway runs from North Myrtle Beach to Murrells Inlet.

Importance of the Port to Port Expressway for Regional Development

Most items in America are shipped out and in through ports.

A port to port expressway will grow the Myrtle Beach area beyond being just a tourist destination.

Construction for the widening of Highway 41 is tentatively expected to begin in late 2026. Highway 41 will ultimately be widened to where it will connect with Highway 31, just north of Georgetown, South Carolina.

On the North Carolina side, The Carolina Bays Parkway extension (proposed Interstate-74) aims to connect SC Highway 31 in Horry County, SC, to US 17 in Brunswick County, NC, easing congestion on local roads like Hickman Road.

The Port to Port Expressway project involves a proposed new, multi-lane freeway linking the SC line to the US 17 corridor in N.C.

Planning studies, including environmental assessments, have been ongoing, with estimated costs for the extension exceeding $550 million per NCDOT. North Carolina will pay to create the direct, high-speed connection between SC Highway 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) and US 17 in North Carolina, bypassing heavily congested local routes.

The only areas holding up the Port to Port Expressway project now run from just North of Charleston through Highway 41’s northern route near the Georgetown, S.C. area. Highway 41 is currently a two lane road and will need to be widened in these areas.

The South Carolina general assembly will need to approve funding for this widening. Legislators in Horry County, other than Representative William Bailey of North Myrtle Beach, have not made this Port to Port Expressway a high priority legislative issue, even though it will generate more opportunities for the Grand Strand than any other legislative measure currently on the agenda.

The Horry County legislative delegation is made up of: Senator Greg Hembree, Senator Ronnie Sabb, Senator Luke Rankin, Senator Stephen Goldfinch, Representative Jackie Hayes, Representative Tim McGinnis, Representative Lucas Atkinson, Representative Jeff Johnson, Representative Carla Schuessler, Representative Heather Ammons Crawford, Representative Carl Anderson, Representative William Bailey, Representative Kevin Hardee, Representative Val Guest, and Representative Case Brittain.

The Wilmington to Charleston Port to Port Expressway is viewed as crucial for connecting the region and opening up access, strengthening the economic ties between the two ports and the Myrtle Beach area.

The Port to Port expressway is estimated to bring in as much as $30 billion annually in new jobs and industries for Horry County once completed.

The death of a 52-year-old Loris man found in a kangaroo and wallaby enclosure was accidental, the Horry County Coroner’s Office ruled Thursday.

Eric Slate, whose family operated educational and interactive petting zoo 5 Star Farm, had multiple superficial scratches and a deeper laceration to the brachial artery in his May 2025 death.

However, the coroner’s office was unable to determine how the artery was damaged. Possible causes include falling into the fencing, gate screws, sharp signage or animal claws. It also remains unclear when or how the scratches occurred and whether Slate was standing or lying down.

The coroner’s office also listed Slate’s other medical conditions, including severe heart, advanced kidney and liver disease, extensive lung disease and chronic alcoholism.

What to know about Jack the kangaroo

Robert Slate, owner of 5 Star Farm in Loris, came home at 10:55 p.m on May 9, 2025, to find his older brother, Eric Slate, dead inside the pen that held the farm’s red kangaroo named Jack.

After Slate’s death, authorities investigated a possible connection with Jack, a red kangaroo that came to the farm a couple of weeks earlier. Jack was one of three kangaroos and a wallaby in the pen where Slate was found.

Robert Slate said his brother would often go into the enclosure to feed the 4-year-old animal, give it treats, and interact with the kangaroo. But, Slate denied rumors that his brother would ever “rough house” with the marsupial.

After Eric Slate’s death, Jack was quarantined for 45 days and deemed safe, according to the coroner’s office.

In an interview with The Sun News, Robert Slate said he believed his brother’s health issues may have contributed to his death. He also said Eric Slate had been complaining of not feeling well earlier in the week.

“Ultimately it’s a tragic loss,” Robert Slate told The Sun News last year. He described his brother as an animal lover who had a strong bond with the kangaroos.