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.