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.

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)

The Rural Interstate Freight Network Mobility Improvement Plan will focus solely on rural sections of the interstate system with a focus on freight density and improving mobility. The SCDOT plans to allocate $110 million to the program once the fuel tax credit included in Act 40 sunsets in 2022.

Following Commission approval of the program in October, the SCDOT received 224 public comments on the program. Of those, 95% were in favor of the improvements. In addition, 86% of those comments specifically mentioned I-95.

A breakdown of responses* is outlined below:

• 106 comments in favor of widening I-95
• 75 comments in favor of widening I-95 at Georgia state line.
• 21 comments in favor of the overall program.
• 12 comments were in favor of I-95 and mentioned I-26.
• 5 comments required responses from SCDOT staff.
• 5 comments were not substantive.

*Source: SCDOT Commission Notebook December 6, 2018