Road upkeep crucial to our safety on state highways

e-mail this story discuss this issue in our forums Guest column • Lt. Franklin Wallace: From Iraqi front, it's easy to see the good U.S. is doing (06/22/04) • Ed Leap: God delivered us from beaches,angels and a vacation (06/20/04) • David Thomas and Brad Wyche: Envisioning Upstate's future calls for focus on growth (06/19/04) • David M. Slade: We need to redress uninsured health costs (06/18/04) • Lynn B. Stovall: Simple lifestyle changes can save water and money (06/16/04) More details John Lumpkin, president & CEO of Edens & Avant Real Estate Services in Columbia, serves on the South Carolina Transportation Policy and Research Council's Business Alliance for Transportation. He was named Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce 2002 Ambassador of the Year.

Unfortunately, when it comes to dealing with the subject of infrastructure of any kind, it has been historically difficult to have it merit priority attention. The need to repair or improve our infrastructure rarely makes the front page or the top story. It only seems to draw attention when tragedy is involved. Yet, too often in South Carolina, we read about these tragedies caused by our deficient roadways and bridges.

Our state has the third highest highway fatality rate in the nation with 75 percent of those deaths occurring on primary or secondary roads. In addition to the human toll, motor vehicle crashes cost the taxpayers of our state $3 billion per year — or $704 per citizen for emergency services, medical costs, property damage and lost productivity. Injury and death on our roadways are realities that affect all South Carolinians. It must be addressed.

When a snow storm hit this past winter covering the highways north of Columbia and into our Upstate, a number of vehicles ended up off our highways and into the median barriers. Had those barriers not been in place, there would have been much greater vehicle damage as well as probable loss of life.

The increase in funding that was provided to construct these median barriers undoubtedly saved lives during this snowstorm, not to mention a number of other instances where these median barriers have prevented cars from sliding into oncoming traffic. In fact, the South Carolina Department of Transportation reports that since December 2000, median cable barriers in South Carolina have been hit over 3,000 times. This is just one example of how money spent to improve infrastructure has saved lives.

Improved roads and bridges are also an economic necessity. The costs of goods and services, like the milk and eggs that we buy at the grocery store, are directly tied to the condition of our roads and the ability of suppliers to efficiently and cost-effectively transport and deliver their goods to the end users — our citizens. Our citizens, in effect, also pay what amounts to a hidden tax due to these increased costs of goods by virtue of deficient roads and bridges. South Carolina itself is placed at a competitive disadvantage in our efforts to bring jobs and economic investment into the communities so that we can increase our per capita income and raise the standard of living for our citizens.

Virtually every business and affected industry group in South Carolina, including the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, has strongly endorsed an improved funding structure for our highways, roads and bridges. In addition, the Business Alliance for Transportation was formed in 2002 at the request of the governor.

Our group studied the state's road system and found that while the South Carolina Department of Transportation does a superb job with the resources and funds provided to it, funding must be increased for the safety of our citizens and the economic competitiveness of South Carolina. We presented our funding recommendations to the South Carolina General Assembly in January 2003. Yet the political realities and the condition of our state's finances resulted in no action on our requests. The business community again endorses increased funding for transportation in South Carolina and urges the South Carolina General Assembly to focus on this essential priority.

Our state highway network delivers the lifeblood of commerce as goods move from the suppliers to the consumers. A well-maintained highway system is paramount to a thriving, growing economy. We can and we must respond by pursuing highway infrastructure improvement policies and effective funding mechanisms.