SCDOT Chairman speaks on the condition of SC roads

Chairman of the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), Woodrow “Woody” Willard, spoke today at Newmark Grubb Wilson Kibler’s offices in Columbia on the condition of South Carolina’s roads and the Department’s current goals for addressing roadway conditions.

Willard says the current state of South Carolina’s roadways leaves little room for errors and contributes to unnecessary traffic fatalities and traffic-related injuries each year.  According to the Institute on Highway Safety, South Carolina ranked second only to Wyoming in the number of traffic related deaths per population in 2015 (20 deaths per 100,000 people).

Willard went on to outline SCDOT’s plans to address roadway issues.  He said rural roads are the site of the majority of traffic-related deaths and injuries in the state, and the Department has prioritized repairing those areas.  Other areas of focus, include:

• Increasing Resurfacing Programs statewide
• Widening roads along South Carolina’s freight network, both on and off of the interstate
• Increasing routine maintenance in order to address the backlog of deferred day-to-day needs of the system
• Replace structurally deficient bridges
• Improve transit to move people more efficiently

Unfortunately, these programs are costly, and Willard estimated SCDOT would need an additional $1 billion annually to address South Carolina’s roadway deficits entirely.  They would need an additional $800 million to bring 55% of roadway pavements to what they call “good” condition.

About Wilson Kibler

Newmark Grubb Wilson Kibler is a full-service commercial real estate company with offices in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Our firm provides a broad range of commercial real estate services throughout the state, including tenant and buyer representation, project leasing, acquisition and disposition, property management, development and consultation.  Each of these services is staffed by highly regarded professionals focused on providing value for our clients throughout all phases of our assignments.  Our firm is an Accredited Management Organization and our professionals hold prestigious designations including CCIM, CPM and SIOR.

For further information visit www.wilsonkibler.com.