An Update on Critical Funding
SC’s Roads and Bridges
Who is SCFOR?
The South Carolina Alliance to Fix Our Roads
We are a non-partisan, non-profit group dedicated to
advocating for critical highway funding.
Our goal is to maintain a safe and efficient transportation
infrastructure in South Carolina in order to promote
continued growth and social progress in South Carolina.
Who is SCFOR?
Member Breakdown
• 38 Independent Businesses
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30 Local Chambers of Commerce
17 State-wide Trade Associations
• Safety advocates
• Petroleum providers
• Highways industry associations
• Agriculture associations
• Trucking associations
• Tourism associations
Where We Stand
South Carolina has:
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The 4th largest highway system in the country
The 3rd lowest motor fuel user fee in the country
Below average road conditions
Over 1,600 bridges in need of repair or replacement
A growing economy with growing infrastructure demands
The Problem
• SC highways have been neglected for far
too long
• We must keep up with new growth
• Current funding sources cannot keep pace
in our changing society
The needs are increasing and the
funding must be diversified.
Current Conditions
Pavement Conditions Across SC Roads
Good
15%
Poor
47%
Fair
39%
The Department of
Transportation needs
over $1.4B each year in
additional funding to
bring South Carolina
highways to a “good”
level of service.
Without that funding,
they can only “manage
the continued decline of
the system.”
2013-14 Comparison of SC
Pavement Conditions
Poor
36%
Pavement Conditions
100%
Fair
33%
90%
80%
36%
47%
70%
60%
50%
Poor
33%
40%
20%
10%
Fair
39%
30%
2013 Pavement
Conditions
Good
31%
Good
Poor
47%
2014 Pavement
Conditions
Good
15%
Fair
39%
31%
15%
0%
Jan. 2013 Jan. 2014
Without increased funding, the system
will continue to rapidly decline
Current Conditions
The 2014 South Carolina
Rural Roads Report by TRIP
points out that South
Carolina has the most
dangerous rural roads of
any state in the US, at a
rate of “3.99 deaths for
every 100 million miles of
vehicle travel.”
Current Conditions
Of South Carolina’s 8,416 bridges:
• 19% (1,624) are “substandard”
• 849 are structurally deficient – structurally
in poor condition
• 775 are functionally obsolete – cannot meet
traffic demands
• Average age of 43 years
1 out of 3 bridges is rated below “good”
Costs of Construction
Our roads are our biggest asset and represent an investment
of $320 billion dollars.
For the same $1 Million,
we can either:
• Preserve 50 Lane Miles
• Rehabilitate 8 Lane Miles
• Reconstruct 5 Lane Miles
As the system declines, the cost to improve it is rising.
Conditions Affecting Our
Safety
Over 1,500 insurance
claims against SCDOT
since 2010
$18.7
million paid
for these
claims
• SC had 764 fatal accidents in 2013
• Road conditions were a major factor in 1 of 3
• SC fatalities per miles traveled is 50% above the national rate
• Crashes cost the state $3.3B/yr in
• Medical, workplace, insurance, and legal costs
• Lost productivity
• Travel delays
Our Need for Capacity
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SC tied for fastest growing economy on the east coast
43% increase in SC traffic since 1990
35,000 new drivers are added to SC roads each year
Charleston is fastest growing of U.S. Top 10 Container Ports
Annual Capacity Needs
Secondary
Primary
Interstate
$188M
$392M
$550M
• 2,577 additional
secondary road miles
• 471 additional primary
road miles
• 445 additional
Interstate miles
Costs of Capacity
Limitations
Together, SC Drivers lose 18,661,827 hours every
year sitting in traffic
These hours equal:
• 5.3 hours/yr per licensed driver
• 2,130 years total
SCDOT estimates a $397M loss in economic
activity due to congestion in 2011
That could pay for:
More than all SC bridge
repair/replacement and
highway resurfacing costs over
a 10 year period
Funding is Falling Behind
49% of state highway
funding across the Southeast
comes from fuel user fees
90% of SCDOT’s state
revenues come from the
user fee on motor fuel
• GA spends $150,000 per road mile
• NC spends $35,000 per road mile
• SC spends only $15,000 per road mile
Motor Fuel User Fee
The motor fuel user fee in SC has not been increased
since 1987 and is not structured to adjust with
inflation
The SC motor fuel user fee is
significantly lower than our
sister states
The motor fuel user fee is fair,
easy to administer, and over 30%
is paid by out-of-state drivers
37.8¢
in NC
28.5¢
in GA
16.8¢
in SC
We need to increase and diversify our revenue sources
State Action on Motor Fuel
User Fee (May 2014)
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Increased fee within past 5 years
25+ yrs without increasing fee
Current User Fee
Payments
National Average Monthly Household Expenditures
Road and Transit
Improvements
*SC Average is
only $40.97
*$46.33
Television and
Internet
$67.02
$56.91
Electricity and Gas
Phone Services
$0.00
Landlines
Cable
Electricity and gas
$159.34
$75.48
$50.00
$85.77
$100.00
$150.00
$200.00
Cell phones
Internet
Motor fuel taxes (state and federal)
Public Opinion: Winthrop Poll
Would you support or oppose an increase in the gas tax with the new
gas tax money going to improve roads and bridges?
Oppose:
47.6%
Support: 50.5%
Would you support or oppose this new
gas tax if it meant an extra $1 to $2 for
a typical fill-up?
Support:
61.7%
Oppose:
37%
Unsure/No
Answer:
1.3%
Unsure/No
Answer:
1.9%
Each driver already pays
$255/yr for driving on poor
roads
We could invest at the pump
and improve our safety,
economy, and commute
Funding Options
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Increase the existing motor fuel user fee
Index the motor fuel user fee
Transfer motor vehicle related fees
Remove/reduce the sales tax exemption
on motor fuel
• Dedicate General or Capital Reserve
Fund money to highways
• Tax alternative fuel vehicles
Alternative Fuel Vehicles
If 3 cars drove across every state road in
South Carolina…
Hybrid would pay
$141.12 in motor
fuel user fees
Sedan would pay
$236.80 in motor
fuel user fees
Electric vehicle would
pay $0.00 in motor fuel
user fees
The motor fuel user fee allows drivers to pay for upkeep as well as
their use of signage, pavement, and safety measures – however,
drivers don’t pay equally to cover these costs
A Little Goes a Long Way
An investment in infrastructure is an investment in
economic development and quality of life.
$1 billion
invested
in roads
$3.4
billion in
GDP
Over
28,500
jobs
$1 invested in transportation = $5.20 in driver savings
These savings come from reduced
• Vehicle, road, and bridge maintenance costs
• Traffic delays
• Fuel consumption and standing traffic emissions
• Motor vehicle crashes
Road Map Plan/$6B Need
SCFOR worked with other organizations to create a
“Road Map to the Future” for South Carolina
This 10 year plan prioritizes funding needs as:
Interstate Expansion
Bridges
Resurfacing
Total
$2.8 billion
$2.0 billion
$1.2 billion
$6.0 billion
If fully implemented, the Road Map to the Future would:
• Create over 170,000 new jobs
• Add $20.4 billion to the state GDP
Consequences of Inaction
If we do nothing, in 25 years we will:
• Pay 3x the amount to fix what we could have
maintained
• Spend even more hours in traffic
• Forfeit growth
• Miss billions in economic opportunities
• Continue to lose lives on poor roads
2013 Legislative Actions
$500
Million
$41
Million
$50
Million
Bonding for roads and bridges through
$50 Million allocated per year in
recurring revenues
Recurring vehicle sales tax transferred
to Non-Federal Aid Highway Fund
General Assembly funding allocation
for bridges
$591 Million for Highway Funding
Road Map Current Position
We are moving forward but have a long way to go to reach $6B.
Road Map to the Future Funding Progress
Remaining Need
100%
2013 Legislation
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
10% was
accomplished
in 2013
Your Actions
2014 is an Election Year
The greatest opportunity in 2014 is to elect officials who will take
the lead on transportation/infrastructure issues
Take the time to:
• Educate others about road funding needs
• Contact your legislators at
www.scstatehouse.gov
• Write an editorial in your local paper
• Share our video regarding transportation and
infrastructure funding in SC
Uniting together is the only way to improve our roads
Speak Out and Tell Us!
Share your thoughts and
pictures at
www.fixscroads.com
Questions?
Sources
The information in this outline is largely pulled from:
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“Transportation Infrastructure Task Force: Final Report” published by SCDOT, December 6, 2012
“South Carolina’s Road Map to the Future” published jointly by the SC Chamber of Commerce, SC
Manufacturers Alliance, SC Forestry Association, Carolinas AGC, Palmetto Agribusiness Council, SC
Alliance to Fix Our Roads, SC Trucking Association, SC Farm Bureau, Greater Lexington Chamber &
Visitors Center, SC Asphalt Pavement Association
“Getting to Good” published by SCDOT and presented by Robert St. Onge, March 2013
“SCDOT-paid claims range from car damage to lost lives” written by Tim Smith and published on
February 12, 2013 in the Greenville News
Graphic information cards published by NC Go!
“Bridges 101” published by SCDOT, October 2, 2013
“Are Good Roads & Transit Worth as Much as Cable and Telephone Service?” and public opinion
poll published by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, 2013
“Needing Money for Roads, States Mull Gas Tax Hike” graphics developed by Frank Pompa at the
Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and published by USA TODAY on March 11, 2014
“South Carolina Rural Roads Release” published by TRIP, July 10, 2014
For these or other related articles, please contact SCFOR at (803)
799-2518 or visit our website at www.scfor.org