Paving Companies in South Carolina – DOT Funding Issues

By Sarah Jeffcoat

Many of the paving companies in South Carolina rely on funding from the Department of Transportation to keep their doors open and pay their employees. Unfortunately, South Carolina DOT’s funding can’t keep up with the poor condition of the state’s roads and bridges. Many of our lawmakers are open to increasing the gas tax (which is now at the same rate it was in the ’80s) to help fix the problem, but others, including the Governor, are not on board. The below video from the South Carolina Alliance to Fix our Roads has some staggering facts about the state of South Carolina’s infrastructure and its role in our daily lives. We’ve broken down the highlights for you as a quick recap:

• SC has seen a 43% increase in traffic over the last 10 years.
• There are over 1,650 bridges in SC that need to be repaired or replaced.
• Poor roads cost you $255 more per year on car repairs.
• The total cost of vehicle crashes in SC each year is $3.3 billion.
• Roughly 30% of traffic fatalities involve road conditions.
• South Carolina saw 833 fatal car crashes in 2012.
• Investing $15 more per month in highways can save you $75 in vehicle operation costs, amounting to $720/year in savings!
• SC drivers pay less than $10/month in fees to use our highways. If ever there’s an example of getting what you pay for, this is it.

So what can you do? Contact your state representative and demand better roads.