AASHTO Journal, 29 January 2016
“Most South Carolinians are riding on poor pavements,” the state’s then-interim transportation secretary, Christy Hall, told the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission on Jan. 21.
In a wide-ranging presentation to the eight-member oversight panel, Hall said 80 percent of pavements on the state’s primary road system are rated fair to poor, with 54 percent of them poor.
And even on the interstate highway network, a third of pavements are in poor or fair condition, she said.
Hall’s assessment came as some members of the South Carolina General Assembly are trying to develop legislation to increase funding for the surface transportation system, after lawmakers last year were unable to agree on proposals.
Gov. Nikki Haley nominated Hall in the autumn to be the next official head of the SCDOT, and her nomination awaited Senate confirmation when the legislature convened last month. After the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously approved her on Jan. 20, the full Senate confirmed her on Jan. 28.
In her commission presentation, Hall gave a “D” rating to her agency’s routine maintenance, and said SCDOT crews “are struggling to maintain a poor highway system.” And congestion is increasing, she said, which will impact South Carolina’s economic competitiveness.
She outlined a plan that would target upgrades to existing road surfaces, replace structurally deficient bridges, improve maintenance and address “congestion pinch points.”
