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

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.

Thanks to revenues generated from 2017 road funding legislation, critical repairs continue to take place across South Carolina. As you may know, the state has laid out a 10-year plan to address the areas of greatest need, focusing on pavement conditions, bridges, rural road safety, and interstates. Since passage of road funding legislation in July 2017, here’s a look at the progress that has been made to date.

• 2,205 Miles of Resurfacing (10 year Plan Goal: 16,000+ miles of pavement.)
• 51 Bridge Replacements (10 Year Plan Goal: 465 bridges)
• 187 Miles of Rural Road Safety (10 year Plan Goal: 1,000 miles)
• 70 Miles of Interstate Upgrades (10 year Plan Goal: 140+ miles)

The revenues provided by the 2017 road funding bill will help get our roads and bridges to a state of good repair; however, there will still be significant needs across the state.  It will certainly take longer than 10 years to bring our roads back from decades of neglect, but as the new revenues are phased in, we will continue to see more work around the state to #fixscroads.

The revenues generated by 2017 road funding legislation (Act 40) have laid the groundwork for the state to adequately plan and begin work to #fixscroads. But just where is that new money going?

The NEW REVENUES generated from the fuel tax increase and other vehicle related fee increases included in Act 40 go directly into the Infrastructure Maintenance Trust Fund (IMTF) and must be used to FIX EXISTING ROADS AND BRIDGES.

Currently, $914 million has been committed to road and bridge improvements across the state.  Check out what $914 Million worth of work looks like – VIEW the Project List here.

A full accounting of the IMTF (including balance sheets, details of who has been paid and for what) is available on the SCDOT’s website and this information is updated monthly. We encourage you to visit the webpage and follow the money!

Visit the IMTF website: https://www.scdot.org/inside/trustfund.aspx

The SCDOT Commission has approved funding to begin planning for priority interstate capacity projects included in SCDOT’s Rural Interstate Freight Network Mobility Improvement Program which was approved by the Commission in October 2018.

Commissioners approved $1 million for each of the five interstate expansions which are intended to come to fruition using revenues ($110 million) from the fuel tax/preventative maintenance tax credit after it sunsets in 2022. Details of the interstate routes slated for improvements are outlined below:

The public has expressed support for interstate expansions, most recently during a public comment period where the SCDOT received 224 comments, 95% of which were in favor of increased interstate capacity.  Details on those public comments can be found here.

The SCDOT is looking address the increased number of potholes a lot of you have been noticing due to the rain over the past few weeks with a “Pothole Blitz” across the state. Crews who will be working extended hours over the coming weeks to tackle these temporary repairs.

Remember, SCDOT can’t fix potholes if they don’t know where they are. You are encouraged to report potholes to SCDOT online or by phone.

Report Potholes to the SCDOT!
Online: http://dbw.scdot.org/workrequest/mRequest.aspx
Phone: (803) 737-1200 or toll free 1-855-GO-SCDOT (855-467-2368)