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Further evidence of the sorry state of South Carolina's roads was presented in a report in Monday's Greenville News that revealed just 21.9 percent of Greenville County's secondary roads are in good or very good condition and the average rating of secondary roads statewide shows an urgent need for improvement.
The report by Greenville News writer Tim Smith illustrates a growing problem with state roads: rising repair bills for motorists whose vehicles are damaged because of poorly maintained roads. But it also underscores a problem that is no secret to South Carolinians: Our highways and secondary roads are too dangerous. About 1,000 people die each year in traffic accidents caused in part by narrow, winding roads that are poorly maintained.
According to the report, the state fields numerous damages claims every year that range from less than $100 to repair minor vehicle damage to hundreds of thousands of dollars to compensate for lives lost in accidents caused by road defects.
State engineers measure road quality using the Pavement Quality Index, which grades roads on a scale from 0 to 5 -- 5 is perfect, and any grade below 3 means a road needs work. Statewide, secondary roads rate an average of 3.1.
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The problem is the Department of Transportation reports a road-repair backlog of more than $3 billion a year, according to the DOT.
Solutions are not simple, especially with the state's increasing traffic making roads and highways more congested and adding to the DOT's needs. One thing is clear, though: Maintaining this state's roads needs to be a priority.
The report backs up DOT claims that it needs more money to keep up with maintenance. But DOT needs to be more accountable before it gets more money. This newspaper has argued for government restructuring that would make this agency more directly accountable to the governor. Once that's done, the governor, lawmakers and the DOT need to evaluate funding sources that will help this agency catch up on road maintenance.
Another statistic underscores the need: 38 percent of interstate highway miles in South Carolina are in fair to poor condition.
This is a serious matter that's about more than just damage to vehicles. It's about safety and saving lives. DOT and state leaders need to take this issue seriously and find ways to fix South Carolina's deteriorating roads.