S.C. Chamber Statement On House Budget
March 23, 2016
State Chamber President Ted Pitts released the following statement after the House passed a budget allocating $415 million to roads next year:
“The business community is glad to see that the House has allocated additional funding for our roads in its budget this year, it is better than nothing. The business community will continue to push for a long-term solution. South Carolina’s roads and bridges are some of the least safe in the country and are getting worse each day. The General Assembly still has a chance this year, through permanent legislation, to provide a long term sustainable solution.
“The Chamber has long called for $600 million in recurring, sustainable funding to make our roads safer and to help our businesses succeed. We will continue to work with the General Assembly to ensure that we provide recurring revenue for our state’s infrastructure needs as well as address reforms at DOT and STIB. This one-time budget allocation is not the answer to our state’s roads problem, there is still work to be done.”
Background
What does $400 million annually achieve over 10 years?
- 35% of primary pavements ‘Good’
- Reduce structurally deficient bridges by 50%
- No improvements to secondary system bridges
- No widening improvements to address congestion
What does $600 million annually achieve over 10 years?
- 50% of primary pavements ‘Good’
- Eliminates structurally deficient bridges on interstates and primary roads
- Eliminates load restricted bridges on secondary system
- Addresses pinchpoints and some widenings
Source: Department of Transportation
