Few road repairs are being done with your higher gas tax hike money.

New Department of Transportation records show that less than 4% of almost $1 billion in road and bridge repairs were completed.

More than half of $82 million went to 10 counties, none to Lexington County.

Lawmakers promised the hike of 12 cents a gallon over 6 years and increased vehicle taxes and fees would fix crumbling roads and bridges where their constituents live and work.

DOT estimated 80% of 42,000 miles of roads need to be resurfaced or rebuilt, and identified 465 of 750 “structurally deficient” bridges to be replaced.

Despite lawmakers’ pledges that gas tax revenues would fix pothole-riddled roads, nearly $246 million is designated for interstate widening, DOT admitted.

The agency is now clearly admitting this after we revealed in January that they planned to spend more than a 3rd of projected revenues by 2027 on widening or repaving interstates.

Since the gas tax went up July 1, 2017, $34 million in repairs – 3.4% of the $997.3 million needed – were completed by the end of February, DOT said.

We found that of 3,029 miles of identified projects statewide, only 89 miles in 18 counties, or just under 3%, were in the completed “pavements” category.

DOT claimed its “Pothole Blitz” patched about 43,000 potholes, though DOT chief Christy Hall acknowledged that the number was an estimate and a temporary fix.

Brundrett is the news editor of The Nerve. Contact him at 803-254-4411 or rick@thenerve.org.