Take a look at the following facts about the state of South Carolina's highways, and you'll understand why we need to make sure we are fixing our existing roads before we spend scarce transportation dollars on expensives, unnecessary roads.

The following bulleted items come directly from the SC DOT website and were current as of November 2006.                

•       Nearly one-third of South Carolina's primary and interstate highways are now in poor or mediocre condition. More than half of our secondary roads are in poor or mediocre condition. One out of every five bridges in the state is considered deficient and there has been a 25% increase in the number of deficient bridges in South Carolina since 1999.   
•       SCDOT does not have a state-funded construction program to make safety improvements. The state does not have a resurfacing program for these roads. Their condition is rapidly deteriorating. 
•        More federal money is now available, but the amount of state match has increased too, leaving less state gas tax dollars for the maintenance of secondary roads.    
•       The recommended cycle for resurfacing (re-paving) roads is 10 to 15 years. Currently, DOT is resurfacing state roads on a 75-year cycle. 
•       A recent report concluded that South Carolina motorists are spending $500 million per year in vehicle repairs as the result of poor road conditions.
•       South Carolina highways are the fifth most deadly roads in the nation.