SC Department of Transportation Secretary Buck Limehouse Addresses Senate Transportation Committee

SC Department of Transportation Secretary Buck Limehouse addressed the Senate Transportation Committee on the Department of Transportation this week.

Secretary Limehouse informed the Senate Transportation Committee the SCDOT has just under 5,000 employees with close to a $1 Billion budget.

He said the department has worked to establish a system to prioritize state highway projects, and the DOT Commission has approved the system and the projects.  As a result of the requirement to prioritize all projects, the DOT has gotten behind on letting work, but it should be back on schedule by summer.

The commission’s focus is to preserve the existing system.  Limehouse said the State has to keep what is has got and make sure it is maintained. 

Remarking on South Carolina having the fourth largest road miles of the states, the Secretary said the department is trying to give roads away to counties and municipalities.

Construction costs have risen significantly over the past 20 years, the last time the State’s gasoline tax was raised. In 1987, Limehouse said it cost $26,000 per mile of two lane highway to resurface; now that figure is $135,000.

He told the Transportation Committee his agency is attempting to cut as many expenses as possible. He said it already has cut $28,000 from its travel budget and reduced personnel in some areas.

The commission is looking at alternate means of funding such as tolling and public-private-partnerships.

Limehouse said the highway fatalities on South Carolina highways are unacceptable. South Carolina’s highway deaths are among the highest in the country. One-half of the 1,000 killed last year were alcohol related. Furthermore, the number of fatalities has been this high for a number of years.

Transportation Committee Chair Larry Grooms asked the Secretary what was the biggest issue facing SCDOT.  Limehouse said, “Like any state agency, funding is the problem.”

Senator Short addressed the priority system for construction and maintenance. She asked how the rural counties would get their road needs addressed under the new system. The secretary said it is hard to do. The new law needs to be tweaked.

Senator Leatherman said I-73 is the number one priority for the state, and he asked the Secretary if the Department had looked at alternate funding for the new interstate.  Limehouse said the Department is moving ahead on project and two Spanish firms, an Australian firm and a United States firm have shown an interest in a public private partnership, but the legislation allowing the PPP must be tweaked because the firms were looking at longer periods of pay out, up to 75 years.

Senator McGill said the legislature has had “lots of talk for 10 years” for funding roads, but not a single bill has been passed. Then he asked what condition the roads would be in if another 10 years passes without additional funding.  Limehouse said, “Unacceptable.”