SC’s ‘cost effective’ road spending?

Someone did not get the memo.

Critics of spending more on South Carolina’s roads system say it is not a lack of money, – but a lack of effective management – behind the state’s subpar roads. But, according to a Reason Foundation report, South Carolina’s roads system ranks first for “cost effectiveness.”

You would think that S.C. roads chief Christy Hall would be pleased by that plaudit. She isn’t.

Hall said the state’s road repair agency just maintains roads with less money – and that is not good news. “(S)pending the least per mile in the nation means that some needs are unmet and deferred maintenance is accumulating rapidly,” Hall said.

Spending little also comes with at a cost – in human lives. South Carolina was among the worst four states for road fatality rates, according to the Reason report.