Greenville News editorial: S.C. needs to fund road upgrades (S.C. Greenville Online)
At perhaps the worst possible time, improving and maintaining South Carolina’s disproportionately high volume of state-maintained roads is emerging as a top priority for the state. Lawmakers and other state leaders need to work diligently toward finding a solution — our state’s economic strength depends on it.
It’s no secret that South Carolina’s roads are in disrepair. But the magnitude of the problem is startling, particularly as the state budget continues to shrink because of the ongoing recession.
South Carolina will need $29 billion over the next 20 years to take care of its bridges and roads. For next year alone the state estimates it needs $931 million for road maintenance, but just $643 million is available, Greenville News reporter Tim Smith recently wrote.
The state Department of Transportation rates the state’s road system a “D”, meaning roads generally are in poor condition. The needs are exacerbated by the exceedingly high number of state-maintained road miles (more than 41,000) in South Carolina. In addition, South Carolina’s roads are consistently ranked as among the most deadly in the nation because they are poorly maintained and often poorly designed.
Finally, a 2009 report by the transportation research organization TRIP, found that 28 percent of South Carolina’s roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
This should be clear: High quality and well-maintained roads are essential to economic development. Manufacturers demand a reliable transportation system to get goods to and from their plants; and residents are entitled to safe roads to get them to and from work, school and activities.
The numbers demonstrate that maintaining and improving that needed infrastructure can’t be accomplished with current state revenues. There needs to be a serious discussion about where that money will come from, and that discussion shouldn’t be short-circuited by a close-minded aversion to any and all taxes.
Two ideas that have been talked about are public-private partnerships and toll roads. One need only look as far as southern Greenville County — where the Southern Connector toll road has defaulted on its debt — to see the hurdles that need to be
overcome if toll roads were used as a major source of highway funding. The state Legislature has considered — and likely will again — a bill that would expand the use of this mechanism. Though it’s not a statewide solution, if nothing else a bill
should be passed so the Connector can restructure its debt and so toll roads can be tried in other parts of the state where they might be more successful.
That leaves an increase in taxes or fees as the most plausible way to increase available transportation funding.
Transportation Secretary Buck Limehouse has suggested a 10 cents per gallon gasoline tax. A legislatively appointed tax study commission may well suggest that when it releases its report later this year, The News reported. Such a proposal
makes sense. Gasoline taxes are a sensible way to fund road maintenance, and South Carolina — where the gas tax hasn’t been raised in more than two decades — could absorb a modest gas tax hike. Such a tax increase would generate up to $320 million per year.
Yet some legislators say approval of a gas tax hike is unlikely given some lawmakers’ aversion to tax increase of any kind. As Sen. Larry Grooms told this newspaper, many in the General Assembly have signed pledges to not raise taxes.
Such pledges are shortsighted and ignore the reality that, at times, tax increases may be necessary to meet urgent needs. One recent example where a local government rose above the uproar against tax increases to meet pressing needs was Fountain Inn. There, the City Council approved a small 2.4 mill property tax increase to help fund capital projects. Had a majority of City Council members pledged to not raise taxes under any circumstances, such an action would have been impossible.
The disrepair of this state’s roads and the lack of apparent funding from elsewhere represents the sort of critical need that demands bold action from South Carolina lawmakers.
When lawmakers begin to discuss how to address this need, they shouldn’t let politically motivated promises stand in the way of doing what’s right for South Carolina. Every option — including increasing transportation-related taxes — needs to be on the table and seriously discussed.
June 22, 2010
