A senator put in charge by his colleagues to find a way to raise more money for South Carolina roads said Tuesday he has a plan that will put up to an additional $800 million for the state’s highways and bridges.

Sen. Ray Cleary’s plan raises the state’s gas tax 10 cents and allows it to continue to increase with inflation. It also raises the sales tax cap on automobile purchases from $300 to $1,400, eliminates dozens of sales tax exemptions and increases the fees for car registrations and drivers’ licenses.

All of his ideas would cost the average driver in South Carolina about an extra $65 per year, said Cleary, a Republican.

“It’s a lot less than that to get a front-end alignment,” said Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Columbia.

Cleary said his bill, which will be filed this week, will net somewhere between $700 million and $800 million a year — about twice the $400 million that plans by the House and Gov. Nikki Haley would raise. Leaders at the Department of Transportation have said $400 million is enough money to keep the state’s roads in their current condition. The DOT has said closer to $1.5 billion a year is needed to get South Carolina roads to good condition by 2040.

It is vital to make sure South Carolina roads get enough money for decades and that’s why his target is so much higher than other plans, Cleary said.

“Do you want us to fix it with a Band-Aid and come back in four years for more, or do you want us to fix it for good?” said Cleary, R-Murrells Inlet.