The latest Winthrop Poll offers insights to South Carolinians views of current elected officials, the economy and key issues facing the state.

When it comes to issues, this year’s specific poll questions focused on hot button topics such as offshore drilling, gun control, and DACA; however, it is important to note what respondents considered the top issue facing the state of South Carolina – Roads/Bridges/Infrastructure.

Yep, still the top issue among citizens, with education coming in a close second place.

A copy of the question and breakdown of responses can be viewed below and the poll can be viewed here.

On Wednesday, Governor Henry McMaster recommended former Lexington lawmaker John Burriss to serve on the SCDOT Commission for District 2.

Burriss is the president and owner of the real-estate and construction Burriss Corp. firm. The 2nd District includes Aiken, Barnwell, Lexington, Orangeburg and Richland counties.

The District 2 seat was formerly held by John Hardee whose term expired last week. Hardee could not be re-nominated to the seat because he had exceeded the 12 years a member can by law sit on the commission.

McMaster has also re-nominated Commissioner Woody Willard for his 4th District seat on commission. Willard first was appointed to that seat in 2014 and served as Chairman 2017-2018.

The 4th District includes Greenville and Spartanburg counties.

McMaster said his nominees will provide conservative leadership and ensure taxpayer money is not wasted but used to repair the state’s crumbling roads and bridges. “They are successful private business owners with excellent records of public service, and I am confident they are well suited to lead the agency and contribute to our state’s economic success and prosperity,” he said in a statement.

Burriss and Willard must now head to the Senate where they must be approved by their respective legislative delegations.

SCDOT Secretary Christy Hall presented to the Senate Transportation Committee Wednesday on the “State of the SCDOT” where she provided Senators with an update on the status of the state’s transportation network – including the 10-year plan and the impacts of the new revenues on projects and the state’s economy.

Hall told the Committee that the SCDOT is “very focused and very grateful” for the new state dollars and plans to put revenues to good use.

Thanks to actions taken by the SC Legislature since 2013, the SCDOT is at its highest level of activity in a decade, with $3 billion worth of projects currently on the streets. This is three times the level of work the agency was able to provide just a few years ago.

South Carolina is expected to add 25,000 new road and bridge jobs in the next few years. “We’re very pleased with our contracting industry,” Secretary Hall told reporters after the meeting. “They have responded just like we asked them to.”

The SCDOT expects to see an additional $149 million in revenues this year from Act 40 of 2017 and $600 million once fully phased in. Between Acts 98, 275, and 40 – the SC Legislature has allocated roughly $800 million to SCDOT for road and bridge improvements.

Secretary Hall emphasized the importance of spending the new revenues wisely and noted the biggest investment will be in pavements to get more roads to “good.”

Over the next 10-years, the SCDOT plans to double down on funding allocated to pavements, interstate improvements, bridges, and safety measures.

Once the refundable motor fuel/preventative maintenance tax credit sunsets in 2023, the SCDOT will have an additional $114 million to allocate towards needs which could offer some increase to the MPO/COG and Freight programs. However, this is something that SCDOT will be working with the SCDOT Commission to determine how best to use these revenues.

We know it will be a long process to repair our roads and bridges; however, we appreciate the efforts of the SC Legislature to provide SCDOT with the resources to begin recovery efforts on South Carolina’s infrastructure.

As the nation anxiously awaits the unveiling of the Trump administration’s infrastructure plan, many groups have issued statements, reports, and plans of their own regarding what should be included in any federal funding package.

Last week, the House Problem Solvers Caucus (a bipartisan group of 48 House members) issued a broad infrastructure funding outline that includes proposals to boost revenue from the federal gas tax, impose user fees on electric hybrid vehicles, impose freight/waybill taxes on trucking operations, and stop raiding other federal revenue streams meant to support infrastructure. The group said they wanted to make their report public before the White House released their plan to show that there was support to move forward on the issue.  A copy of their report can be viewed here.

This week, the US Chamber of Commerce released their plans to advocate for an increase in the federal fuel tax. On Thursday, Chamber President, Tom Donohue, called for a 25-cent increase to the fuel tax over the course of five years, but said his group would also support a proposal that increased the tax all at once.

The Chamber has long been a proponent of the fuel tax and will be pressing for its inclusion in any federal infrastructure plan that is passed. In addition, the group also plans to advocate for improvements to the permitting process as well as public-private partnerships to fund projects.

Donohue told reporters that Congress needs to address the issue sooner than later – and gave a stern warning about inaction.  “But this is a big deal. This is a huge job creator. This is a massive improvement in productivity in this country,” he said. “And if we don’t do it, we will pay a horrific price, and that’s the message.”

While the Trump administration anticipates the President to tout infrastructure investments in his State of the Union address later this month, it is not expected for the official plan to be released until February.

As anticipation builds, so does the momentum for transportation infrastructure investment to be at the top of the Congressional agenda.

To say the Trump Administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan is long-awaited would be an understatement.

It is expected that the White House will release details about its infrastructure plan around the time of the President’s January 30th State of the Union address.

Trump administration officials have described a plan that would involve $200 billion of direct federal spending over a decade, combined with $800 billion that would come from private and state and local government sources.  They have also indicated that removing barriers from the federal permitting and approval processes for projects will be a part of its program.  However, since no one has seen the plan, this is mere speculation at this point.

Leaders from state DOTs sounded off at a Transportation Research Board meeting this week, discussing the need for definite and reliable revenue streams for any plan to be successful. There was significant consensus that sustainability and states’ actions to increase revenues needed to be taken into consideration. One of the chief concerns for state DOT executives is replenishing and sustaining the Highway Trust Fund which provides states with funding assistance from revenue collected from federal fuel taxes. However, because the fund has seen decline in recent years general fund monies have been used to offset and help maintain its solvency.

Does that mean that a federal fuel tax could be on the table?  It has been reported that Trump has not ruled out calling for an increase in federal fuel taxes; however, increasing fuel taxes remains politically tenuous and Republican lawmakers have said they do not have the support for an increase to become law.  A federal fuel tax increase is one of many ideas that has been floated and only time will tell if President Trump’s infrastructure plan will contain enough components to (1) successfully fund a $1 trillion plan; and (2) garner support from both Republicans and Democrats.

All eyes will be on Washington as the Trump administration and lawmakers try to secure an infrastructure deal.

Thanks to SC lawmakers, we can #FIXSCROADS while growing our economy.

Since the passage of SC’s new roads bill, SCDOT has hit the ground running – laying out a 10-year-plan to improve our state’s crumbling highway system. Already, SCDOT has awarded contracts on the first projects enabled by the roads bill.

The newly funded projects will resurface 200 miles in 27 counties across the state, improving poor pavement conditions and eradicating countless potholes. These are the first steps in the department’s drive to double its Resurfacing Program. Thus far, approximately $24.5 million in transportation funding dollars have been allocated via SCDOT’s bidding process.

This infusion of funds to South Carolina’s construction industry provides a two-fold investment: in our infrastructure future and our state’s workforce. While steamrollers rev up and asphalt plants increase production, many companies are seeking to grow their workforce. Open positions are both skilled and unskilled, providing flexibility in hiring options.

“Even if you don’t know how to do this type of work, or you’ve never done it before and you want an opportunity, it’s there now,” said Lane Construction’s Orangeburg County Plant Manager, Lee Barrack.

Transportation Secretary Christy Hall stated that the roads bill has the potential to create as many as 48,000 jobs in our state. Further, she extended an invitation to job seekers, “Our interests are to provide job opportunities for South Carolinians first. If you have an interest in construction and making a difference every day, come join our industry.”

The roads bill has provided the construction industry with an opportunity to grow their workforce, creating thousands of jobs in South Carolina. Thanks to SC lawmakers, we can #FIXSCROADS while growing our economy.

For more information about job openings in your area, click the links below.

SCDOT Employment Information

Carolinas AGC Career Page

SCAPA Job Opportunities

Sources: http://www.wistv.com/story/35980101/need-a-job-gas-tax-hike-has-created-a-surge-of-openings