SCDOT receives over $200 million for bridge, road, and Helene repair

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – We often hear from drivers that they want to see more money put into the roads in South Carolina, and now it’s happening.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation asked for $200 million from the general assembly for roads and bridges, and they got it along with a bonus of $35 million to help areas affected by Hurricane Helene.

“I have to change my windshield ever other year due to rocks getting kicked up and cracking my window, and there’s a pothole on about every street. They repair it by just putting a cone in it,” said Mike Cobb, a South Carolina Resident.

“Roads for sure fixing some of the potholes around the train tracks, so I’ve popped a couple tires,” said Matthew Coven, another South Carolina Resident.

State Transportation Secretary Justin Powell said the money will go towards improving bridges and roads across the state. He said South Carolina’s infrastructure has to keep up with its growing population of more than 5 million people.

“We’ve been making a lot of investments in our interstate system. You see projects happening on I-85, I-26, I-77 across the state in terms of trying to deal with the growth that’s coming from not only the population coming,” said Powell.

He added they are listening to South Carolinians and are working on pavements and potholes.

“Making an announcement on I-95 real soon and Buford, Jasper area, but we have projects happening in the Charleston metro area. Bridge projects, safety projects, same thing. Myrtle Beach, Columbia metro area”…. “We now have over 9,000 miles paving projects either underway or completed across South Carolina, and our commission just approved adding another 700 miles.”

Powell points out that the state went three decades without proper road maintenance, saying this is a step toward continued improvements.

“We’re actively moving, to catch up on that deferred maintenance that we’re seeing across South Carolina, and that’s why you see this, dramatic ramp up in road construction happening.”

Powell said this is just one phase of a long-term plan to get the state’s infrastructure where it needs to be.

Governor McMaster said most of South Carolina’s roads are state-owned and, while fixing them will take time, progress is being made.