Conservationists to DOT: Fix existing roads before building new ones

Conservationists want major changes at South Carolina’s highway agencies — and they launched a campaign Wednesday for legislators to help.

During a briefing for state senators in Columbia, environmentalists said the S.C. Department of Transportation should fix more pothole-filled roads, before building billions of dollars worth of new freeways. They will be pushing for a bill to require maintenance before new road projects, as well as other reforms.

The DOT, which has had cash management problems, is “severely dysfunctional’’ and in need of reform, Lowcountry conservationist Dana Beach said. He also blasted the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank, a separate agency that funds big highway projects.

Both the DOT and the Infrastructure Bank are governed by legislatively appointed boards that critics say have made questionable decisions to construct new freeways, particularly on the coast.

“We’ve allowed politically motivated projects to crowd out basic needs: like fixing potholes, relieving flooding, repairing bridges, adding wider (road) shoulders where they are necessary .... and improving intersections,’’ Beach said during a legislative briefing.

Such repairs are “small things that make a big difference,’’ he said.

It’s unknown whether the Legislature would pass bills to revamp either agency or require more money be spent on maintenance. Powerful state and federal lawmakers support controversial new freeways, such as I-73 to Myrtle Beach and the I-526 extension in Charleston. Lawmakers could lose influence over projects to help their districts if there are major changes.

But Sens. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, and Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw, said the DOT needs reform and the state should pursue a “fix-it-first’’ policy when it comes to road priorities. Sheheen said he introduced a bill Wednesday to do that.

“The goal would be to set a policy whereby DOT would have an emphasis on fixing roads, repairing bridges, and improving existing roads before they’re spending money on other stuff,’’ Sheheen said.

Wednesday’s briefing was part of an annual session with lawmakers in which the Conservation Voters of South Carolina lays out legislative priorities. The group, which represents the state’s major environmental organizations, favors state funding for land protection, increasing tax credits for solar energy projects, more protection for wetlands, and passing a statewide recycling bill. But highway reform is perhaps the biggest issue.

Beach said the DOT puts about one-third of its budget toward road maintenance annually, a small percentage compared to many states.

Beach, director of the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, said many parts of the state are being shortchanged by the existing priority system for road projects. The Infrastructure Bank, for instance, has committed 70 percent of its more than $2 billion for projects in just three counties: Horry, Greenville and Charleston, he said, citing bank statistics.

“There are large needs throughout the state,’’ he said. Those include a project to relocate railroad tracks in Columbia, as well Upgrades to I-85 in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, critics have said

One way to improve the system is by forcing the DOT to spend 75 percent of South Carolina’s state and federal highway money on maintenance and repair work, Beach said. He also said the Legislature needs to make the DOT go by a priority list for road projects. The law now requires projects to be ranked, but isn’t strong enough, he said.

In addition to questions about the agency’s road-building priorities, the DOT also has had cash-flow problems that have raised many concerns. Last summer, the DOT ran out of money to pay contractors and needed federal help to pay its bills. Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, has said he favors legislation to make the DOT more accountable.

The lightning rods for change among environmental groups are I-73 and I-526.

The I-73 project would mean building a $2.4 billion freeway through wetlands and waterways of national importance in eastern South Carolina. So far, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has opposed a wetlands permit for the project. I-526 would open potential development corridors on John’s Island, an ecologically sensitive sea island south of Charleston. Many Charleston residents oppose the extension, expected to cost about $500 million.