By S.C. Rep. Bobby Harrell

We’ve all experienced the rush-hour delays that result in longer commute times. We’ve all seen the accidents—many of them fatal. 

New legislation introduced in the General Assembly called the “2005 Trust Fund for Maintenance of South Carolina Roads and Highways” paves the way for millions of dollars currently directed to the General Fund to be used to repair deteriorating highway infrastructure—without raising taxes for South Carolinians. I drafted this bill because I believe that if we do not keep up with road maintenance, in a few years, we will be forced to rebuild many of our roads.

The average driver spends an additional 32 hours a year in traffic today than in 1990. That’s the equivalent of about four working days behind the wheel.

Almost 1,000 people die every year in motor vehicle accidents in South Carolina—that’s a full 50% higher than the national average, according to a recent report from The Road Information Program (www.tripnet.org).

Vehicle travel has increased by around 38% over the past decade or so. It is past time for our state to make the necessary improvements to the highways and byways that many experts predict will see another 45% usage increase by 2020.

One-third of our state-maintained road system is already in poor condition and that means higher operating costs and commute times for motorists, and more importantly, a loss of life. The good news is that even simple improvements could significantly reduce traffic congestion and accidents.

The state’s Department of Transportation is continuously recognized as one of the most efficient highway departments in the country. However, its hands are virtually tied by lack of funds. 

It may surprise many to learn that our highway system receives 95% of its funding for maintenance and construction from the state’s motor fuel tax. As our cars have become more fuel-efficient, revenues to the DOT, which maintains 65% of the state system, have remained relatively flat in the face of the huge increase in vehicle traffic. The DOT has not had the money to make desperately needed safety improvements to secondary roads, many of them in rural areas.

I do not support raising taxes—that is not the way to grow an economy and ensure that businesses thrive. That’s why I’ve designed this bill to transfer the responsibility of caring for roads to fees and taxes already being paid by the people who are using the roads. The legislation would redirect between $85 million and $90 million into a trust fund earmarked for repairs to secondary roads. Over half of South Carolina’s roadways fall into this category and are not eligible for federal aid.

How would we do it? It’s a very straightforward process. First, the bill reclaims vehicle registration fees for road use. That totals about $5 million each year. The bill also puts driver’s license fees and other vehicle fees revenue into road repairs. That’s another $12 million per year. In addition, another $7 million from petroleum inspection fee revenue would be used for road maintenance.

But $24 million a year is still not enough. That’s why the bill will put SUPERB Fund fees, a half-cent per gallon fee on all motor fuels, into roads. (The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act of 1988 was enacted to strengthen regulatory control of underground storage tanks (USTs) and establish a state fund that tank owners and Department of Health and Environmental Control could use to investigate sites where leaks occurred and clean up the resulting water and soil contamination.) That’s another $14 million a year. Add to that a reduction in the statewide cost allocation requirement for the DOT, a $4.9 million fee, and we have even more funds available for roadwork. All in all, these initiatives would put nearly $90 million into repairing our state’s roads and bridges over the next five years.

Let’s face it. It’s not just about commute times. When we as a state don’t take care of our infrastructure, economic development suffers. We have a lot going for us as a transportation hub. But if companies can’t rely on our transportation system to be well maintained they will choose to do business elsewhere, and South Carolina will ultimately lose valuable jobs.

The statistics are clear. Ninety-two percent of the $103 billion worth of commodities delivered annually to and from sites in South Carolina are transported on the state’s highways, according to The Road Information Program, and commercial trucking in the state is projected to increase dramatically by 2020.

The problem, once again, is that right now the road repair money is not in the state budget, but I am convinced that it needs to be. We can get it there by redirecting road-related fees from the General Fund to the DOT to help maintain our roads in South Carolina. It only makes sense.

Our roads did not get in this condition overnight and, likewise, the problem will not be fixed overnight. These vital funds will get us headed in the right direction. Keeping our citizens safe depends on it, and so does our ability to create jobs and continue economic expansion. Our roads in South Carolina are in dire need of repair now. It’s the right time for us to take action.

S.C. Rep. Bobby Harrell is chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee.

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