SC

SCDOT Fail

HOW THE PALMETTO STATE’S TRANSPORTATION AGENCY PAVES ROADS … While S.C. governor Nikki Haley and her former college roommate (a.k.a. state transportation secretary Christy Hall) were busy bitching and moaning about transportation funding this week, we were forwarded some images of road “repairs” being conducted in Swansea, S.C. by the scandal-scarred…

HOW THE PALMETTO STATE’S TRANSPORTATION AGENCY PAVES ROADS …

While S.C. governor Nikki Haley and her former college roommate (a.k.a. state transportation secretary Christy Hall) were busy bitching and moaning about transportation funding this week, we were forwarded some images of road “repairs” being conducted in Swansea, S.C. by the scandal-scarred S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT).

How are those repairs looking?

(Hint).

(Click to enlarge)

(Pics Provided)

Wow …

We knew SCDOT was a disaster but come on … how hard can this be?  This is your JOB.

Haley has been attacking the S.C. House of Representatives this week for its ostensible support of “wasteful” transportation projects.

Really? 

The governor has been cheerleader-in-chief for THE wasteful transportation project in South Carolina: Interstate 73.  This $2.4 billion road – which state leaders have included in a so-called “shortfall” in highway funding – clearly doesn’t need to be built.  Why not?  Because studies have shown that the traffic issues it seeks to mitigate could be addressed far better … for one-tenth the cost.

Don’t get us wrong: South Carolina’s roads and bridges desperately need to be better maintained and more frequently repaved/ repaired.  In fact we’ve consistently argued throughout the debate over infrastructure funding that doing so is a core function of government – to say nothing of a cost-saver in the long run.

Also this is the perfect time to repave …

Unfortunately, SCDOT continues to put wasteful projects ahead of long-overdue repairs – and when it does finally get around to those repairs, the results are not good. This agency has seen its base budget nearly double over the last seven years – and it is getting hundreds of millions in new recurring money on an annual basis starting this year ($400 million in new recurring money).

That is a massive investment of taxpayer resources … one that should be more than sufficient to address the core needs of the state’s highway system (assuming, of course, that the SCDOT stops approving dozens of politically-motivated projects).

Seriously: This agency needs to get its act together soon …

After all, Nikki Haley and her allies cannot insist on more authority unless she proves there is accountability over the billions of dollars her agency is entrusted with to keep our roads and bridges in working order.

***

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14 comments

mr m March 23, 2016 at 5:01 pm

My God, those roads look rougher than her face.

Reply
Rocky Verdad March 23, 2016 at 5:39 pm

Fix the roads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Paul Harvey March 23, 2016 at 10:45 pm

(without raising taxes)

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SCDad March 23, 2016 at 5:42 pm

DOT work or a contractor?

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jimlewisowb March 24, 2016 at 9:05 am

Don’t think it matters anymore

Our road was paved by a contractor and started falling apart within a couple of years and has been repaired numerous times by DOT and contractors with the same results

In fact the last time DOT was doing a patch job they were running up on time to call it a day

Rather than finishing the job they loaded up and headed back to the shop

As a result one side of the road has a built in speed bump which the locals have adjusted to but it jars the hell out strangers to the area

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shifty henry March 23, 2016 at 6:48 pm

waste — trying to open each of those fotos one-at-a-time……

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CorruptionInColumbia March 23, 2016 at 7:06 pm

They’re actually kind of fun to look at. I just pretend they’re porn, especially the one on the bottom left.

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Ralph March 23, 2016 at 7:37 pm

The DOT management and commissioner and trikki need to spend les time and money on exotic conferences and shrines )like I20 * us378) and more on road maintenance.

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TankMcNamara March 23, 2016 at 9:27 pm

speaking of the DOT, any update on the story about the DOT employee allegedly attacking the 88 year old man? i haven’t seen or heard anything here.

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CorruptionInColumbia March 23, 2016 at 11:21 pm

Excellent question, Tank! I think quite a few of us want to know, “the rest of the story”, as Paul Harvey would have said.

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TankMcNamara March 24, 2016 at 7:54 am

I know. I’ve been waiting on “the rest of the story” but haven’t seen or heard anything here. Guess it’s another example of Sic promising up the big story and……….nothing.

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Tazmaniac March 24, 2016 at 7:24 am

They did even worse than this in front of my neighborhood and just f-ing left with danger signs all over the place for the last 5 months.

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Todd March 25, 2016 at 11:16 pm

Someone powerful is getting kickbacks from the windshield replacement via insurance business.

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Big Daddy March 28, 2016 at 9:18 am

What I absolutely hate is to see the DOT workers backed up in a side road about 4PM every afternoon waiting on 5PM. I’ve seen them more than once sitting there napping. They could be picking up trash, mowing grass, or something!

Reply

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