Southern Connector sees strong gains in 2014
February 3, 2015
GREENVILLE, SC – Traffic along the Southern Connector increased by 10.1 percent over the previous year and collections were up 8.7 percent, according to data released today.
In total, there were 5,162,469 transactions in 2014 – up from 4,688,005 the previous year, said Pete Femia, the Southern Connector’s general manager. Road officials collected $7,565,888 in revenues, which was up from $6,963,035 in 2013.
Highlights of 2014 include the single best month in Connector history when $721,363 in revenue was generated in October, which included an all-time high of $215,576 in PalPass revenue.
The Southern Connector is an important asset for Upstate South Carolina. Upstate lawmakers have leveraged the Connector in the past decade as the local match to help pay for more than $406 million worth of roadway improvements including I-385 widening and building the roads at CU-ICAR.
“The Southern Connector continues to grow as people look to it as an alternate route around heavy traffic,” said Bill Carpenter, Chairman of Connector 2000 Association, which is the group that oversees the management of the highway. “These numbers show this is a valuable part of our infrastructure.”
About the Southern Connector
The 16-mile Southern Connector was opened in 2001, eight and a half months ahead of schedule and under budget. The road was built with private money through a unique public-private partnership. No tax money was used for construction of the road, but the state owns the highway, while the Association has the right to collect and retain tolls under a license from the state through 2051. Go to www.southernconnector.com for more information.
