Title: Why the Haley Plan Would Make S.C.'s Roads Problem Worse | The South Carolina Policy Council
Headings: Haley Road Plan: Higher Taxes, New Debt, Fuzzy Numbers
Haley Road Plan: Higher Taxes, New Debt, Fuzzy Numbers
THE GOVERNOR’S PLAN IS A SHELL GAME THAT WOULD DO LITTLE TO IMPROVE S.C.’S ROADS
The plan is based on contrived assumptions, impossible predictions, and misleading promises.
The governor’s plan would transfer funds from maintenance to expansion
Haley’s DOT reform plan isn’t a plan.
How to Fix our Roads
1) Require maintenance work be prioritized over new construction
2) Make the DOT accountable to the governor
3) Devolve some state-controlled roads to local control
4) Abolish the Infrastructure Bank
5) Full transparency in DOT spending and construction contracts

Content: The problem isn’t one of revenue but one of structure: South Carolina’s transportation authorities aren’t adequately using the resources they have. How to Fix our Roads
Any discussion of increased revenue in the absence of transformative structural reform puts the cart before the horse. Here are the actual transportation reforms that need to be undertaken to ensure South Carolina government is making the most of its existing transportation dollars. 1) Require maintenance work be prioritized over new construction
The DOT has long given construction projects a great deal of weight when determining their budget requests. In recent years the Department has requested over four times as much for construction projects as it has for maintenance expenses. This imbalance is due to a combination of an unaccountable DOT governing board, and perverse incentives provided to state transportation authorities by federal road funding formulas. Federal road funding formulas prohibit federal funds from being used on routine maintenance, and contribute to the DOT neglecting non-federal aid eligible roads in favor of those that are eligible for a federal funding match. In order to address these misplaced priorities state law should be amended to mandate the prioritization of road maintenance and repairs. The law should require that no more than a designated small percentage of all DOT funds can be spent on new construction until a large majority of the roads controlled by the DOT are rated in good or very good condi