we’re Gonna need a bigger bowl

State transportation officials spent $1,430,657 on Lexington County road repairs last year.

That sounds like a lot until you consider what they spent in other counties:

• Greenville $7,975,733

• Berkeley $5,166,856

• Jasper $4,766,764

• York $3,221,602

• Richland $2,238,847

In the first 18 months of the gas tax hike, about $15 million or nearly 25% of the total $61.4 million paid to road contractors, went for “preservation” projects – not major road repairs.

On the state Department of Transportation website, “preservation” is defined as a way to maintain state roads using “low-cost preventative maintenance treatments.”

DOT claims that “moving from a worst-first strategy to one of preservation will ensure that we are getting the most from the limited resurfacing dollars.”

One type of preservation is “crack sealing” – filling moderately sized cracks with liquid rubberized asphalt.

DOT said it patched about 411,000 potholes statewide last fiscal year though the agency didn’t respond to written questions earlier this month about pothole repair.

DOT filled fewer potholes over the past 3 years.

The gas tax will be raised 12 cents a gallon over 6 years, and other vehicle taxes and fees were raised.

Lawmakers promised the money would fix the state’s pothole-riddled roads and deteriorating bridges.

DOT has said 80% of about 42,000 miles of roads must be resurfaced or rebuilt, and 465 of 750 structurally deficient bridges replaced.

Only $1.3 million of $61.4 million paid to contractors was for road reconstruction and less than $90,000 was for 1 bridge replacement.

Of $61.4 million paid to contractors, $39.2 million, or 64%, was spent on “rehabilitation” road projects.

About $246 million – 27% – was for interstate upgrades on I-85 in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, and I-20 in Lexington County.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-West Columbia, will divert gas tax millions to widen interstates.

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