Why SC primary roads have crumbled even as DOT got more money

COLUMBIA – One out of every four dollars that goes into the state Department of Transportation's coffers has been spent on debt or shifted to other agencies, and much of the remainder has been designated for uses other than resurfacing or rehabilitating the state's deteriorating roads, records reviewed by The Greenville News show.

At the heart of the ongoing and heated debate over whether to increase the gas tax to improve South Carolina's roads is how DOT has spent its money and why the state's roads are in such poor condition after years of budget increases for the agency.

Interviews with those on both sides of the issue reveal ample suspicion among opponents that the agency already has enough money to improve roads, while supporters argue the agency does not have the resources it needs to properly care for the nation's fourth largest state-maintained road system.

“I think the roads need repairing. Anyone who is not blind can see that,” said Darla Booher of Greer, president of the Carolina Independent Auto Dealers Association and an opponent of the Senate roads plan. She said the main issue is how to fund the repairs “or if there really is a need or the funds are already there.”

Read more: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2017/04/01/why-sc-primary-roads-have-crumbled-even-dot-got-more-money/99259896/