As S.C. lawmakers are working to come up with a solution to repair South Carolina’s crumbling roads, a record number of Palmetto State residents will be driving during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Interstates and primary roads carry 75 percent of South Carolina’s traffic, according to the S.C. Department of Transportation. Many of those roads contain cracks and potholes that are deteriorating steadily — threatening to put travelers on the side of the road changing a tire instead of eating Christmas ham and exchanging gifts at Grandma’s.
South Carolina’s interstate system is more than 50 years old, and 39 percent of the roads are in poor or fair condition. The primary roads — made up of U.S. and S.C. routes — are in worse shape, with 84 percent of those roads in poor or fair condition.
Nearly 1.4 million South Carolinians will use the state’s roads to take holiday trips of at least 50 miles during the next 13 days, according to AAA Carolinas. The spike in travel is due in part to the lowest gas prices since 2009, according to the organization. Gas prices averaged $2.22 per gallon in South Carolina Monday — 84 cents cheaper than a year prior.
South Carolina Association of Taxpayers 