COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The director of South Carolina’s transportation department says roads have deteriorated so badly, it will take a decade just to climb out of the maintenance hole created over the last five years.
Director Christy Hall thanked legislators Wednesday for laws passed in 2013 and last year that allow for roughly $5 billion worth of highway construction over the next decade or so, largely through borrowing. She called the laws good first steps.
But she says roughly $28 billion is still needed over the next 25 years to bring the state’s existing highway system to good condition. Many of the roads will need complete reconstruction, causing repair costs to skyrocket.
A House bill would eventually provide an additional $600 million annually for roadwork. A Senate proposal would provide $800 million.
