The state so far has spent only $186,657 of $361 million in gas taxes in Lexington County.

As of Aug. 31, state officials were sitting on nearly $312 million from gas taxes that took effect more than 15 months ago.

Yet lawmakers promised the money would go to fix crumbling roads.

Newly released records from the S.C. Department of Transportation and state Comptroller General’s Office show that of the $362.3 million collected since July 1, 2017, $15.8 million, or less than 4.5%, was spent on roads.

No money had been spent on roads in 16 counties – 1/3rd of the state – as of Aug. 31, according to DOT.

A DOT list shows that as of Aug. 31, amounts spent on “external” projects in 30 counties ranged from $12,789 in Abbeville to $2,076,829 in Greenville.

Although lawmakers repeatedly promised the increased tax would go to pot hole-riddled roads, millions of dollars have been planned for interstate upgrades on I-20 in Lexington County and I-85 in Cherokee and Spartanburg counties.

The projects list, which grows every month though there are no specifics of the work to be done under the main categories of “pavements” and “rural road safety,” stood at $535.5 million as of Aug. 31, compared, for example, to $169.8 million as of Jan. 31.

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