YOUR TAXES AT WORK

Lexington County led all counties in gas tax money spent on road preservation and safety projects.

State officials spent $13 million on “crack sealing” and “safety improvement” such as widening shoulders and adding guard rails through last August.

State transportation officials claim serious progress in fixing bad roads and bridges with gas tax hike money but their numbers tell, a different story.

Department of Transportation records show that of the $311.3 million in vendor payments through August, at least $115.6 million – more than 37% – was not spent on major road repaving or repair.

When the state raised the gas tax 12 cents a gallon over 6 years with other vehicle taxes and fees, lawmakers promised it would go to fix the state’s crumbling roads and bridges.

DOT said 80% of about 42,000 miles of roads needs repaving or rebuilding and 465 of 750 structurally deficient bridges need replacing.

We revealed that DOT planned to complete about 2,300 miles of road repairs by the end of 2021.

That was less than 7% of about 33,600 miles of state roads the agency said had to be repaired or rebuilt.

Despite what lawmakers pledged, $246 million, nearly 25% of the tax money, is to go for interstate widening which DOT admitted after we revealed those plans.

Bad roads result in thousands of dollars in car repairs, injury or death.

DOT, through the state Insurance Reserve Fund, has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in pothole claims since last year.

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