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Tuesday, October 24 | Upstate South Carolina News, Sports and Information

Transportation woes
DOT crisis about more than funding.

Published: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 - 6:00 am

Yes, there is a crisis at the state Department of Transportation, and it is more than a "funding crisis." That's what a majority of DOT commissioners called it Thursday when they signed off on a resolution to the Legislature asking for more money for the agency with a $1 billion budget and 5,000 employees.

Tee Hooper of Greenville, chairman of the DOT board and the only appointee of Gov. Mark Sanford, has been candid in his criticism: The agency's problems include morale, a lack of focus and leadership, as Greenville News reporter Tim Smith has reported. The DOT structure puts most of the power into the hands of legislators who pick the six commissioners. In almost every other state, the governor, as the state's chief executive officer, has far more authority over the highway commission.

A long-awaited performance audit of the state DOT is expected to focus on many of the agency's shortcomings. However, it will take more than repairing these problems to bring lasting and fundamental change. The governor absolutely must gain more authority so someone ultimately will bear more responsibility for how DOT is managed and how it spends its limited funds.