SCDOT named top state DOT in national report

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has been rated as the top ranked overall state DOT in the nation by the Reason Foundation in Los Angeles. The Foundation released its 22nd Annual Highway Report on Thursday, September 22. This report ranks every state’s highway system on pavement condition, traffic congestion, deficient bridges, traffic fatality rates, dollars spent per mile and other categories. The previous report ranked SCDOT as 4th.

Specifically, the Reason Foundation ranks SCDOT #1 in Overall Highway Performance and Cost-Effectiveness. SCDOT spends the lowest amount of maintenance dollars per mile on highways and bridges than any other state DOT. In addition, the ranking for the lowest administrative costs for SCDOT is #5. Combined, this means that SCDOT is ranked as the best DOT in terms of putting as much of its funding into the maintenance of the highway system as possible.

The report also notes that South Carolina continues to have the 4th largest state-maintained highway system in the country. In other categories, SCDOT earned the following rankings:

· 47th in Fatality rates

· 24th in Deficient Bridges

· 9th in Rural Interstate Pavement Condition

· 11th in Urban Interstate Pavement Condition

· 17th in Urbanized area congestion

Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall had these reactions to the Reason Foundation Report, “SCDOT appreciates receiving the top ranking in Overall Performance and Cost-Effectiveness. This report is clear evidence of SCDOT being a national leader in doing more with less. We should recognize that spending the least per mile in the nation means that some needs are unmet and deferred maintenance is accumulating rapidly,” said Hall.

“Additionally, being ranked among the worst in the nation on fatalities is not something to be proud of and it’s a trend we must reverse. SCDOT will be calling on our policy makers to help implement a Rural Highway Safety Program aimed at reducing fatalities on roads where high death rates occur,” said Hall.

“SCDOT is proud and honored by this recognition, but our mission is to improve the quality and safety of South Carolina’s highway system and that mission continues. That task demands our attention every day. We reaffirm the agency’s commitment to our citizens to work hard to maintain our highways and bridges and manage our available resources as best we can,” Hall concluded.