The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is asking legislators for $1 billion in funding in order to fix infrastructure around the state.
The funding is needed for bridges in the state highway system, many of which are over 60 years old. According to SCDOT, many are not meant to handle the quantity and loads of today’s tractor-trailers. More than 1100 bridges in the Palmetto State have been identified by the transportation agency as in "poor" condition which could lead to serious problems in the coming years if not addressed.
“Now is the time to start looking at those structures and address them before we have a major issue,” SCDOT Secretary Christy Hall recently told a Senate panel. “In other words: don’t let the bridge fall down before you try to address it, or don’t have an emergency closure and then figure out you need to work on it,” she said. “Let’s work on it early.”
Secretary Hall asked for $200 million a year for five years in order to prevent rebuilds that are much more costly.
The Senate Finance Committee will consider the request this week for the fiscal year beginning on July 1.
“We have to look at (interstates) as a major lifeline for economic development and prosperity in this state,” Hall said. “What we’ve been successful at avoiding so far is having an interstate bridge closed for a long period of time or detoured for long period of time due to structural issues or a major problem.”
The agency’s 10-year plan for roadwork on the nation’s fourth-largest highway system, initially approved after the Legislature passed the 2017 law increasing gas taxes and other fees, called for repairing or replacing 465 bridges statewide.
In December 2021, SCDOT’s board voted to boost the target to 500 bridges fixed by mid-2027, after dedicating an additional $69 million annually of federal money toward the effort.
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Source: PostAndCourier.com
