When it comes to roads, it makes a difference where you buy gasoline.

Each county gets money to maintain roads from a percentage of gasoline sold in the county. The challenge for Dorchester County is that about two-thirds of the county's residents work outside the county. If they buy gasoline in other counties, Dorchester County doesn't get the gas tax money.

That can be a problem in a county where increasing traffic is wearing out the roads, Dorchester County Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Coxe said.

The transportation committee decides how the money the county gets from gasoline sales should be spent paving roads and fixing potholes and sidewalks.

Each county gets 2.66 cents a gallon on gasoline sold in that county for maintaining roads. The tax doesn't increase with the price of gas.

Dorchester County will get $1.2 million this year from the gasoline tax.

That's enough to pave about 23 miles of roads, although the money is also used for sidewalks and other projects.

"We have more requests than we have money," Coxe said.

State and local politicians regularly ride with committee members when they inspect roads, trying to get the roads their constituents are complaining about on the committee's priority list.

"We go by need," Coxe said.

The committee works with the state transportation department and the county public works department to write and award contracts.

The committee recently allocated $65,000 to pave roads in the convenience site on Parler Drive in the Oakbrook area and the convenience site in the upper part of the county.

The projects, which will be done this summer, will keep down dust and improve drainage at the sites, Coxe said.

The committee also plans to pave roads in Archdale off Dorchester Road, Windsor Hill off Ashley Phosphate Road and Tranquil Estates off Ladson Road.