SC Dithers While Roads & Bridges Crumble
Everyone in South Carolina that drives or rides on our roads knows very well that our infrastructure is crumbling. The SC Department of Transportation says that more than 80% of the state’s primary and secondary roads are rated fair to very poor; 20% of bridges are structurally deficient or weight limited and traffic congestion is costing the state $400 million a year in economic activity. The estimated cost of bringing 66,000 miles of public state-owned highways (the fourth-largest road system in the nation) is $29 billion over the next 20 years that’s $1.4 billion dollars a year. DOT’s entire annual budget is $1.3 billion.
The NY Times reports that fuel taxes provide about 40% of state highway revenues and 92% of the federal highway trust fund. The trouble is South Carolina hasn’t raised its gas tax since 1987. Even if the gas tax were doubled however, DOT says it would raise barely half the money required per year. It’s kind of a moot point however since the legislature lacks the leadership and political will to propose raising the gas tax and even if they did approve it, Governor Haley has vowed to veto any increase in the gas tax.
Apparently feeling some political heat on this issue, Governor Haley held a news conference this week where she urged lawmakers to put additional revenue toward fixing the state’s roads. She offered up additional revenue based on projections of more than $100 million. But not all the additional revenue would go towards road repairs, first she wants $26 million taken off the top of the additional tax revenues for more income tax cuts. Despite a grueling recession and endless state budget cuts, Haley still clings to the idea that South Carolina can cut it’s way to prosperity. Her staunch opposition to a gas tax increase isn’t shared by business leaders. In Congressional testimony this week, Thomas J. Donohue, the chief executive of the US Chamber of Commerce, said: “The money is running out, so we need to phase in a moderate increase in the gas tax over a number of years and index it to inflation. Shippers and truckers are all on board to pay a little more as long as the money goes where it’s needed.”
The SC Business Roundtable, recently joined a growing number of business groups asking lawmakers to commit $6 billion over the next decade to address South Carolina’s infrastructure crisis.
Even when presented with 17 alternatives to increasing the gas tax (compiled by a year long study undertaken by the Transportation Infrastructure Task Force) the legislature has refused to act. The suggestions included lifting the $300 sales tax cap on vehicles, raising drivers license/registration fees and allocating a set percentage of General Fund revenue to roads.
While the legislature and our governor delay and dither vehicles are being damaged, people are getting hurt and in some cases dying. The Greenville News reports that in the last 3 years 1,500 claims have been filed against the DOT alleging bad roads, poor design or defective maintenance led to personal injury or damage to property. Records show that the state has paid $18.7 million in costs for these claims. When this information was disclosed to lawmakers, they seemed stunned. Sen. Larry Martin, said, “That is a number I have never heard before and is a real service to the discussion we need to have about our road system in South Carolina and what we’re going to do to improve it.” I guess it’s hard to come up with solutions when you don’t even understand the scope of the problem. In 2011, the Transportation Department received 1,455 claims and 83 lawsuits.
On the rudderless ship that is South Carolina people who hate government but are in charge of it would rather pay damage claims than fix the problem. They would rather pay lawyers and state employees to sort through paper work and make payments than come up with real lasting solutions. It costs money to maintain our roads and bridges and the people that use the roads should be required to help pay to maintain them. User taxes are the cost of doing business. When asked why she advocates taking $26 million off the top of the projected additional revenue for income tax cuts if road work is so critical, Haley responded that there’s no reason the Legislature can’t do both.
Yes, Nikki there is a reason in fact there are thousands of reasons, just check with the DOT or better yet check with the jury that in 2006 awarded 16 year old Deonte Elmore’s family an $11 million verdict (later reduced to $600,000 in accordance with the state’s lawsuit cap) for negligence in properly maintaining the highway and its median. Deonte died in the resulting car crash. I think that’s reason enough to ask South Carolinians to pay a little more at the pump. It’s the least we can do to ensure our safety and our prosperity.
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