COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – One of the issues South Carolina lawmakers say they hear about all the time from constituents is the shape of the state’s roads.

They have some ideas on how to improve them but want to first hear directly from South Carolinians on what challenges they face during their daily commutes.

It will be part of the work of a new committee at the State House, which will take a closer look at the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

House Speaker Murrell Smith, who established the new South Carolina Department of Transportation Modernization Ad Hoc Committee, said its formation is not meant to criticize SCDOT but to improve and modernize it.

“This job is not to fix potholes. This is not to widen roads. Those are all being done right now. But it’s to build a foundation for long-term growth, safety and opportunity,” Smith, (R–Sumter), said.

It comes as South Carolina’s growth shows no signs of stopping.

But its infrastructure has not always kept up.

“When our road system was built, it was probably built with 2.5 million to 3 million people in mind,” Smith said, compared to the approximately 5.5 million people estimated to now call South Carolina home. “We have 71,000 miles of state roads, being one of the largest road systems per capita in this whole country, and so we have a lot of challenges.”

Areas where the Speaker wants the committee to focus include congestion, permitting reform and SCDOT’s organizational structure.

He also wants them to figure out whether South Carolina needs to revisit its decades-old toll statute and look at how it raises money to fix infrastructure, including potential new resident fees and raising the registration fee that electric vehicle owners pay.

“I do not think that we need to raise the gas tax. We just came off the gas tax increase over the last few years. If you look at where South Carolina is in comparison to other states, we’re right in the middle,” Smith said.

Not mentioned was determining whether the state should turn over control of more roads to local governments.

Gov. Henry McMaster believes that question is worth taking a closer look.

“I think that’s a good idea,” McMaster told reporters. “The specifics would have to be determined, but as you know, we have in South Carolina seems like all our roads are state-owned roads. There are some very large states that don’t have as many miles of state highway miles.”

Over the months ahead, this committee will be traveling around the state and holding public hearings.

Its goal is to have legislation and recommendations ready by the time the full General Assembly reconvenes in Columbia next January.

In response to the committee’s formation, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said it has made significant progress since the passage of the landmark 2017 roads bill, which implemented an increase to the state’s gas tax, which funds infrastructure improvements.

Nearly $7 billion in road and bridge construction is underway now, according to SCDOT.

“We recognize that there is more work to do and we look forward to working with the Study Committee to build upon that progress. South Carolina has grown and changed tremendously and we are committed to delivering a transportation system that will serve our state for generations to come,” the agency said in a statement.

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