to award contracts by Fall 2010. The extension was delayed for two years after changes in the design, making the cost $15 million higher. The Coastal Conservation League objected to the changes, though the league denied being responsible for the delay. Illegal filling of wetlands in sections already completed was one reason. To get the project approved, the area of wetlands to be filled was reduced by 24 acres from the original plan. A groundbreaking was held at the planned interchange between the parkway and S.C. 707 on November 6, 2013. Work was to start the next month on the 3.8-mile project, expected to cost between $225 and $237 million. Nearly all of the funding was to come from the State Infrastructure Bank, with $10 million in stimulus money and $2 million in sales tax money. Future Interstate 74 Interstate 74 (I-74) is a potential planned renumbering of SC 31, which could happen once the highway is extended north into North Carolina, connecting with US 17. Known as the northern extension, it would closely parallel County Road 57 in South Carolina. Between 2002 and 2004, State Sen. David Elliott opposed the efforts of State Rep. Tracy Edge to get the northern extension built, claiming the northeastern part of the county did not need such a highway, and that North Carolina had not set a definite route for Interstate 74 to which the road could connect. Currently, the northern extension is unfunded, waiting in part on NCDOT to finalize its routing of Interstate 74 in southeastern North Carolina. In November 2019, NCDOT and SCDOT released maps of nine corridors that the northern extension could take. Exit list North Myrtle Beach connector route South Carolina Highway 31 Connector (SC 31) is a connector route that uses Robert Edge Parkway from North Myrtle Beach. It serves to connect U.S. Route 17 (US 17), SC 31, and SC 90. It is an unsigned highway. See also References External links Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page: SC 31 Freeways in the United States 031 Transportation in Horry County, South Carolina Interstate 74