Rains/Floods Could Absorb State's Road Funds

The year's heavy rainfall may wash away the extra money the legislature has allocated to the state's roads and bridges.

That was one of the messages Sen. Larry Martin delivered to Pickens Chamber of Commerce members at a luncheon Thursday.

“We do need to throttle back the rain,” he said. “We finally got a little bit of money dedicated to roads and bridges and we're going to use it up replacing what's getting washed out.”

Two bridges in the Central area were damaged by flash flooding caused by heavy rains earlier this week.

Earlier this summer, a portion of Highway 178 near the North Carolina border was washed out.

“There's not telling what this deal on 178 is going to cost,” Martin said. “You're not going to believe how close it is to the state line. Why couldn't it happen (on the other side)?

“Those are the kind of things you have to deal with,” he said. “Most people look at the state and they go, 'Well, they have insurance, you carry insurance to cover that type of thing.' The state doesn't have insurance to cover those types of catastrophes. You just have to grin and bear it.”

Martin asked Chamber members if they'd driven in North Carolina or Georgia recently.

“Did you notice much difference in the quality of the roads?” he asked. “They actually spend more money on their roads than we do. It's very obvious. North Carolina's gasoline tax is double ours.

“We've got to do something about our roads,” Martin said. “You're not going to fix roads with political rhetoric. You're not going to fix roads with a lot of hot air and a bunch of politicians bloviating over what they could do differently.”

Martin has been driving to Dacusville often recently and has seen the condition of Highway 186 personally

“That road is so rough that if you drive more than 45mph … you will likely wind up in a ditch,” he said. “That's what we call a primary road in this state … and there is no hope – I can tell you because I checked – there is no hope of that road being repaved any time soon. That's ridiculous.”

Carroll Campbell was governor the last time the state addressed its roads in any substantive way, Martin said.

Labor costs and construction materials are much more expensive these days, Martin said.

“You just can't build roads and fix bridges on the same budget you had back then,” he said. “It just doesn't add up.”

Martin said there's no appetite in Columbia to raise the gasoline tax.

“And I get that,” he said. “I understand that.”

This year, legislators approved a nearly-$600 million infrastructure package, which includes $50 million in recurring funds allocated to the State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) to be bonded for $500 million; moving half of the sales tax on automobiles to the Highway Fund on a recurring basis, generating about $41 million annually; and, $50 million in one time funds to be used for bridge repair.

“And that's going to help, but it's just a drop in the bucket,” Martin said. “It's just a drop in the bucket and I would be doing you a disservice if I stood up here and said we could keep taking money out of the general fund budget and giving it to roads and bridges.”

One legislator had proposed cutting the general fund budget by 10 percent, which Martin says would severely hurt not only roads and bridges repairs and maintenance, but mental health, the state's higher education system and more.

“To stand there and suggest we can cut $600 million with no pain, no problems, out of the general fund is crazy,” Martin said. “You might as well tell me I'm going to the moon and back today.”

The problem needs more funding and attention from the state, Martin said, adding he knows you can't just throw money at a problem.

“It's going to take some serious, thoughtful consideration as to how we deal with it,” he said.

Attendees suggested adjusting the sales tax cap on vehicles, taxing smaller utility trailers and raising the taxes on mopeds as ways of raising infrastructure funds.

He has advocated increasing the state's gas tax by five cents – a move that would provide more infrastructure funding while allowing South Carolina's gasoline tax to remain one of the lowest in the country.

“We can't be responsible stewards of the public purse and keep doing what we've been doing for the last 10-15 and expect a different result,” Martin said. “We've got to do what's necessary to keep this state going or it's going to hurt economic development, it's going to hurt our ability to not only attract folks to South Carolina, but keeping our young folks. We don't need to lose our best talent that we've worked so hard … to try and keep here.”

He said efforts to recruit business and industry such as BMW and Boeing to the state had paid off, but all that work could be wasted if the state does not address its crumbling infrastructure.

But with an election year next year, Martin said he didn't much change of substantive change occurring.

“They're too interesting in running in the next election,” he said. “At the end of the day, we've got to do what's best for the state. It might be a hard pill to swallow from a standpoint political standpoint. I've reach the point where I'm not all that worried about the next election. Am I going to do what I think the voters want me to do? Of course. But I'm also going to do what I think is right for this state.”