The June meeting of the SCDOT Commission focused  on the FY2019-2020 Pavement Improvement Program.  The pavement program is approved annually and sets funding levels for preservation and rehab/reconstruction to interstates, primary roads, and secondary roads.

Pavements are a key component of the SCDOT’s 10-year plan and the agency has already doubled the paving program’s investment levels and is on track to nearly quadruple the entire program by 2023. The increased investment in pavements can be directly attributed to the road funding bill of 2017.

The SCDOT Commission approved the investment of $473 million in FY19-20 for pavement improvements. They also approved the first phase of recommended ranked project lists for the reconstruction and rehabilitation projects for inclusion in the program.

Phase 1 Rehabilitation and Reconstruction projects consist of $254 Million, which will improve 561 miles of roads in all 46 counties. Detailed project lists are linked below.

• Interstates: $100 Million
• Primary: $230 Million
  • Preservation: $19 Million
  • Phase 1 Rehab/Reconstruction: $138 Million – View Projects by County Here
  • Phase 2 Rehab/Reconstruction: $33 Million
  • Rural Road Safety: $40 Million
• Federal Aid Secondary: $75 Million
  • Preservation: $7.5 Million
  • Phase 1 Rehab/Reconstruction: $59.8 Million – View Projects by County Here
  • Phase 2 Rehab/Reconstruction: $33 Million
• Non-Federal Aid Secondary: $68 million
  • Preservation: $6.8 Million
  • Phase 1 Rehab/Reconstruction: $56.3. Million – View Projects by County Here
  • Phase 2 Rehab/Reconstruction: $4.8 Million

Phase 2 of the ranked Rehabilitation and Reconstruction projects will be provided at a future meeting for Commission approval.  Those projects are expected to total roughly $45.6 Million.

While the Commission has approved the projects, they still must go out for public comment.  The proposed 2019-2020 Phase 1 Projects will be open soon for comments (over 21 days).  Any substantive comments must be provided to the Commission for its consideration. Barring any substantive comments, the projects are to be incorporated in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

Thanks to the passage of road funding legislation in recent years, South Carolina has seen a significant boost in the amount of work that is out on the streets. The construction program continues to grow and has quadrupled over the past 10 years.

More than $797 million in contracts have been awarded in the current fiscal year.

Currently, there is $3.3 billion worth of work going on across the state. Of that work, $1.6 billion has been paid out for completed projects (up from $1.5B last month). This data is proof that contracts continue to roll out, industry partners are ramping up, and progress is being made.  A breakdown of the construction program by category can be found here.

Source:  SCDOT Commission Meeting June 20, 2019.

With road construction season in full swing and the gas tax increase July 1, we took the “common cents” approach to answering some of the most frequently asked questions about #fixingscroads with the new revenues.

What will the fuel tax be on July 1?

South Carolina’s gas tax increased two cents on July 1.  This brings our state fuel tax rate to 22.75 cents which is far below our sister states’ rates and the national average of 34 cents.

Where’s the new money going?

Can the new money be spent faster?

Why is it taking so long?

SOUTH CAROLINA’S RURAL ROADS HAVE HIGHEST TRAFFIC FATALITY RATE IN THE NATION; REPAIRS & MODERNIZATION NEEDED TO BOOST SAFETY, IMPROVE CONDITIONS & SUPPORT GROWTH & CONNECTIVITY

Washington, D.C. – America’s rural transportation system is in need of repairs and modernization to support economic growth in the nation’s Heartland, which is a critical source of energy, food and fiber. With increases in population and growing employment, rural America is heavily reliant on the quality of its transportation system to sustain further growth. This is according to a new report released today by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit. The report, Rural Connections: Challenges and Opportunities in America’s Heartland, evaluates the safety and condition of the nation’s rural roads and bridges and finds that the nation’s rural transportation system is in need of immediate improvements to address deficient roads and bridges, high crash rates, and inadequate connectivity and capacity. The chart below shows the states with the highest rate of rural pavements in poor condition, states with the highest share of rural bridges that are rated poor/structurally deficient, and states with the highest fatality rates on non-Interstate, rural roads.

The rate of traffic fatalities on South Carolina’s non-Interstate, rural roads is the highest in the nation and is nearly four times higher than the fatality rate on all other roads in the state – 3.6 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel vs. 0.98. The report finds that 40 percent of South Carolina’s rural roads are rated in poor or mediocre condition. Nine percent of South Carolina’s rural bridges are rated as poor/structurally deficient. Bridges that are poor/structurally deficient have significant deterioration to the major components of the bridge and are often posted for lower weight or closed to traffic, restricting or redirecting large vehicles, including agricultural equipment, commercial trucks, school buses and emergency services vehicles.

“With passage of road funding legislation in 2017, we are pleased that South Carolina now has additional resources to make safety a priority, specifically on rural roads,” said Jennifer Patterson, executive director of South Carolina Alliance to Fix Our Roads (SCFOR). “Since 2017, over 900 miles of rural roads have been approved for safety-specific improvements.  We recognize that safety is a balance between the condition of the roads and driver behavior; however, we hope that as these projects continue to be rolled out, they will aid in helping the state shed this disparaging ranking.”

“Damaged and deteriorating roadways too often result in deadly crashes, and it is time to act,” said Tiffany Wright, AAA Carolinas spokesperson. “AAA Carolinas advocates that making investments in critical safety improvements to rural roads will save thousands of lives each year and help move our economy forward.”

America’s rural transportation system provides the first and last link in the supply chain from farm to market, connects manufacturers to their customers, supports the tourism industry, and enables the production of energy, food and fiber. Rural Americans are more reliant on the quality of their transportation system than their urban counterparts.

“This report highlights again the critical need for federal action to modernize our nation’s infrastructure,” said Ed Mortimer, vice president of transportation infrastructure of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  “We have a historic opportunity to address many rural infrastructure needs with President Trump and Congress discussing a major infrastructure bill. Let’s hope they act to address this critical issue!”

The TRIP report finds that the U.S. needs to implement transportation improvements that will improve rural transportation connectivity, safety and conditions to provide the nation’s small communities and rural areas with safe and efficient access to support quality of life and enhance economic productivity.

“Farmers and ranchers depend on rural roads, highways and bridges for daily life and to move their products to market,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “Securing the appropriate resources at the local, state and federal levels will allow for the improvements needed to provide a rural transportation system that will keep goods moving, American agriculture competitive and rural Americans safe.”

“The health of the nation’s economy and the safety and quality of life in America’s small communities and rural areas ride on our rural transportation system. Our rural roads and bridges provide crucial links from farm to market, move manufactured and energy products, and provide access to countless tourism, social and recreational destinations,” said Will Wilkins, executive director of TRIP.  “Fixing the federal Highway Trust Fund with a long-term, sustainable source of revenue that supports the transportation investment needed will be crucial to the modernization of our rural transportation system.”

Source: TRIP Press Release 05/22/19

Thanks to the passage of road funding legislation in recent years, South Carolina has seen a significant boost in the amount of work that is out on the streets. The construction program continues to grow and more than $734 million in contracts have been awarded in the current fiscal year.

Currently, there is $3.3 billion worth of work going on across the state (up from $3.2B last month). Of that work, $1.5 billion has been paid out for completed projects (up from $1.4B last month). This data is proof that contracts continue to roll out and progress is being made.  A breakdown of the construction program by category can be found here.

Source:  SCDOT Commission Meeting May 16, 2019.

State law requires that the new revenues generated from the 2017 road funding plan be deposited into the Infrastructure Maintenance Trust Fund (IMTF).  The most recent statement can be viewed here.

The latest data shows that since the passage of road funding legislation in 2017, over $657 million has been deposited into the IMTF. Of that $657 million, $185 million comes from the fuel tax increase. Currently, the most significant source of revenue in the IMTF comes from the infrastructure maintenance fee; however, that is likely to shift as the extra pennies are phased in on fuel.

Since 2017, $178 million has been paid out for work completed, allocations the County Transportation Committees (CTCs), and to cover the preventative maintenance tax credit for South Carolinians.

There is a lot of misinformation out there that implies that the money is being diverted elsewhere.  The truth is, the only “diversion” is one that goes back into the pockets of SC taxpayers. Moreover, if money remains in the tax credit account after tax credits are claimed, it must go back to SCDOT to be used to fix roads and bridges.

Thanks to the 2017 road funding bill, additional revenues will continue to be phased in the coming years.  It is because of these revenues that South Carolina has been able to adequately plan and ensure that EVERY county in South Carolina sees benefits.

Over $1 billion in project commitments have been made to improve over 3,000 miles of roads in ALL 46 counties. View the list here.

To date, over $100 million has been paid out for completed work, follow the money here.  

South Carolina is working to tackle one of the biggest and most pressing challenges facing the state. This work is important, long-overdue, and certainly is going to take time. Our roads and bridges didn’t get in this condition overnight, and there’s no quick fix.

The good news is, there is a plan in place to address pavements, bridges, and safety. We plan to continue to follow the progress and look forward to seeing more work hit the streets.  We encourage you to follow it with us!

Every county in South Carolina is benefiting from the revenues generated by the 2017 road funding bill.  According to the latest project listing, there are over 3,000 miles of roadways in ALL 46 counties with improvements underway.

These projects will repair bridges, improve pavement conditions, and implement safety improvements on the worst of the worst roads across the state.  This fix it first approach will certainly not happen quickly, but it is undoubtedly necessary.

So the next time you drive through a work zone, slow down, pay attention – and know your tax dollars are being put to work!

Check out the projects in your area! 

As South Carolina continues to see phased-in increases in revenues to put towards repairs to existing roads and bridges across the state, many states are working to pass their own transportation funding bills to help fund a growing list of infrastructure needs.  Here’s a look at plans that have passed over the past month in other states:

Alabama: Includes a 10 cents-per-gallon fuel tax increase, indexed to the National Highway Construction Cost, and new annual registration fees of $200 for electric motor vehicles and $100 for hybrid motor vehicles.

Arkansas: Includes a 3 cents-per-gallon gas tax increase, 6 cents-per-gallon diesel tax increase, and additional levy based on the average wholesale price of fuel. An annual registration fee of $200 for electric motor vehicles, $100 for hybrid motor vehicles, and transfers $35 million annually from casino revenues to the state’s transportation fund.  Separate legislation was also passed that would put a referendum to place a half-cent sales tax increase renewal on the 2020 ballot.

Colorado: The legislature plans to allocate $300 million for transportation in this year’s budget, $106 million more than the initial line item.  It’s unclear where this revenue will be drawn from in the state’s $30.5 billion budget.

Ohio: Increase the state gas tax by 10.5 cents-per-gallon and the diesel tax by 19 cents-per-gallon, and implement annual registration fees of $200 for electric motor vehicles and $100 for plug-in hybrid motor vehicles.

Utah: Permits owners of alternative fuel vehicles to enroll in a road usage charge program.

Virginia: Generates $280 million annual funding plan for Interstate 81 and other highway improvements. The revenue comes from a local 2.1 percent tax on the average wholesale price of fuel in districts along the I-81 corridor which raises gas prices by about 7 cents-per-gallon in those areas. Truck registration fees will increase in this year, and by 2021 the diesel tax will increase to 2.03 percent of the state average wholesale price per gallon.