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Recently drove from Greenville, down to Amelia Island, Florida. Unfortunately, the driving route took us down I95 as it passes through SC. That stretch of road is deplorable! The road is literally, falling apart. What a disgrace, to have a section of !95, through SC in such a state of disrepair. Leaving, SC and entering Georgia was a relief. Not only was the road in much better condition, it was 3 lanes! I am embarrassed to have our state roads in such a deplorable condition.I hope the recent announced gas tax, goes only to fix the roads! JMHO.
I havent been on that stretch since the last space shuttle went up, but I dont remember it being bad at all. I do remember though some rough areas, like in miles, on 95 near and through Jacksonville Florida. I went down for Discoverys final launch and was so glad to get back in Ga. When we went for Atlantis, it was much, much better.
Are many roads in SC like that? I am considering moving to Greenville, but I like traveling , so the roads in Greenville and the rest of the state are an important consideration. Will I be encountering many dilapidated roads in the state?
I have read somewhere that SC roads are worse than NC roads. Considering SC has a high state income tax, considering no state tax in TN, I am starting to wonder if it is worth moving to SC if roads are not enjoyable.
Are many roads in SC like that? I am considering moving to Greenville, but I like traveling , so the roads in Greenville and the rest of the state are an important consideration. Will I be encountering many dilapidated roads in the state?
I have read somewhere that SC roads are worse than NC roads. Considering SC has a high state income tax, considering no state tax in TN, I am starting to wonder if it is worth moving to SC if roads are not enjoyable.
I don't think it's that bad. The interstates could use some work in areas and there is roadwork ongoing.
I do miss the no state income tax situation in TN. Property tax on vehicles stinks here too. It can be expensive the newer the vehicle you have. I remember when I lived in Knox County you paid like a $30-$40 wheel tax annually and that was it. No property tax each year on vehicles in TN. Is that still the case?
Here you pay the property tax each year and a $24 tag fee added on every two years. I think that is going to $40 with the new road bill. I also read where there will be a new $250 registration fee for new residents with this bill that was passed. Ridiculous. Not sure if that went through.
Are many roads in SC like that? I am considering moving to Greenville, but I like traveling , so the roads in Greenville and the rest of the state are an important consideration. Will I be encountering many dilapidated roads in the state?
I have read somewhere that SC roads are worse than NC roads. Considering SC has a high state income tax, considering no state tax in TN, I am starting to wonder if it is worth moving to SC if roads are not enjoyable.
The gas tax is one of the main funding sources for roads. Income taxes are genrally used for other purposes. Our gas tax has been the same since some time in the 80s. They just passed a bill to raise the gas tax by 2 cents a year for the next 6 years. They included some kind of income tax rebate as part of the bill - most stories I've read seem unclear how much revenue the increased tax will raise after you remove the amount of income tax refunded. It's supposed to go to improve the roads but I will believe it when I see it.
Most of our state's primary roads and interstates are in fair to good condition. I-85 really needs to be widened from East of Spartanburg to the NC state line. There are plans to do that but it is likely to take a decade or more to complete. I-26 also needs to be widened between Columbia and Charleston and between Columbia and the I-26 / I-385 split coming toward Greenville.
In my opinion, where the state needs to place the most focus is on resurfacing of secondary roads in general and primary roads in rural areas. We also have a lot of structurally deficient bridges on these roads that need improvement and/or replacement. We have too many roads where the primary surface has become an interconnected mass of potholes.
We do often suffer from a lack of local planning of development. Roads like Woodruff, Whitehorse, Clemson Blvd in Anderson, and US 123 through Easley are congested with too many red lights and far too many curb cuts for individually businesses. You can have development without destroying road throughput. Texas does a good job in that respect by using frontage roads in similar situations to keep traffic flowing on the main road while allowing access to businesses. It's almost impossible to do once the businesses are already there, though. You really have to do it as part of a planning process, which is lacking in this area.
Opinions do vary, widely, though.
NC roads are pretty good in general. They do seem to over prioritize rural projects over urban projects, though. They also have an extremely high gas tax. Even if we do raise our gas tax 12 cents over the next 6 years, it will still be significantly lower than in NC.
I would have preferred to see a straight 5 cent increase without the odd tax rebates. I would have also liked to see more significant reform of the state DOT, which is currently a wasteful bureaucracy that prioritizes road projects as a form of payoff to politicians and other well connected individuals.
Not a fan either. Its 2 lanes, and truckers/motorhomes get in the left and slow things down too. Right now, SC resources for roads seem to be on I 26 going into Charleston/Summerville.
Its all about the revenue..
If the bill becomes law, S.C. drivers would face:
▪ A 12-cents-a-gallon gas-tax hike. That increase – to be phased in over six years – would cost roughly $1.40 a week for a driver who travels 15,000 miles in a car that gets 25 miles per gallon.
▪ Sales taxes of up to $500 on a vehicle purchase, up from the current maximum of $300
▪ A $250 one-time fee for vehicles bought out of state and later registered in South Carolina
▪ A $120 fee every two years on electric vehicles and a $60 fee on hybrid vehicles every two years
▪ A $16 increase in vehicle registration fees. S.C. drivers under 65 would pay $40 to register a car, up from $24. S.C. drivers 65 and older or handicapped would pay $36, up from $20.
Under the proposal, S.C. residents would be eligible for tax rebates to offset paying the higher gas tax and other tax credits, including for college tuition. When phased in, the tax cuts would cost the state about $105 million a year.
I've never understood the flat cap on sales tax on a car. It means someone buying a new Ferrari pays the same tax as someone buying a new Nissan Sentra. I think it would make more sense for that tax to be at a reduced rate without a cap. If it's really intended to offset the wear caused by the car on the road, it would probably make even more sense to base it on the weight of the vehicle.
The electric and hybrid vehicle tax seems odd as well. Most of those cars are lightweight vehicles that cause very little wear on the roads. We should be encouraging people to buy these types of cars, not adding a surcharge on them.
NC had the out of state vehicle fee set the same as their new car tax rate when we moved there 15 years ago. Cost me several hundred dollars per car and felt very unwelcoming as a new resident.
The income tax rebate seems particularly odd. Why not just do a smaller increase to the gas tax without adding more complexity to the state tax code? Is this intended to shift the tax burden to out of state drivers buying gas in SC?
The increase "sunsets" at the end of the 6 year period by default. That means this entire issue will again have to be debated at the end of 6 years, which seems like a huge mistake. I am glad they abandoned the idea of automatically adjusting the tax with inflation the way NC does. Taxes that automatically increase without legislative input are a bad idea.
Recently drove from Greenville, down to Amelia Island, Florida. Unfortunately, the driving route took us down I95 as it passes through SC. That stretch of road is deplorable! The road is literally, falling apart. What a disgrace, to have a section of !95, through SC in such a state of disrepair. Leaving, SC and entering Georgia was a relief. Not only was the road in much better condition, it was 3 lanes! I am embarrassed to have our state roads in such a deplorable condition.I hope the recent announced gas tax, goes only to fix the roads! JMHO.
As someone who has lived in North Carolina and now in the Greenville area I can say that North Carolina roads are much better. Their gas tax is also higher. South Carolina suffers from the fact that SCDOT oversees too many miles of roads, much of which should be under the control of counties and cities. As you can imagine, resources are not allocated well, and funding has been low. When a republican legislature overrules a republican governor's veto of a tax hike for roads, that should really tell you something. Road design and maintenance is also poor in many places, e.g. too many curb cutouts along commercial corridors, no shoulders and deep ditches next to roadways, trees and utilities too close to the roadway, no guardrails where there obviously should be, poor drainage, etc.
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