Spartanburg County Council: Proposed penny sales tax would fix more than county-owned roads

If you lined up all the publicly maintained roads in Spartanburg County from end to end, it would stretch all the way to Alaska.

There are more than 3,400 miles of publicly maintained roads in Spartanburg County, County spokeswoman Scottie Kay Blackwell said.

The council has looked at ways to improve roads for years. It estimates the backlog of repair work to cost $500 million. That's why County Council is proposing the 1-cent sales tax for roads because it could raise $478 million ― almost enough money to cover the cost needed for road repairs.

County Council on Tuesday, Aug. 8, is expected to give final approval to a November referendum asking voters to pay for road repairs.

If the penny tax is approved, 577 projects are planned like road resurfacing, intersection improvements, road corridor reconstruction, bridge replacements, stormwater improvement and road safety.

Here are the roads to be fixed if the penny tax is approved.

Yet, only a third of the roads on the list of planned projects are actually county-owned and maintained. The State Department of Transportation owns and repairs most of the other, two-thirds of the roads in need of repair in Spartanburg County.

Resident William Meyer recently asked County Council why residents should pay an extra sales tax to fix roads that are the state's responsibility.

"I don't have a problem getting roads fixed because it needs to be done, but why isn't the state fixing the majority of roads that are owned by the state?" Meyer asked. "Something to think about when you're looking at hundreds of millions of dollars looking to be spent."

In short, the answer to Meyer's question is the state doesn't have enough money for all roads that need repairs, but local funding could help tackle the problem.

Blackwell explained that funds raised by the penny tax will be combined with state and other funds to fix all roads on the project list.

Blackwell said most motorists drive a combination of state and local roads and expect all roads to be in a good, safe condition.

"These roadways are interconnected with motorists traveling on some combination of SCDOT/county/municipal roadways as part of their daily commutes," she said.

Enough Spartanburg County roads to stretch to Alaska

The county maintains 1,744 miles of roads and 157 bridges. If you combine that with each of the 14 municipalities and 1,360 miles of the SCDOT–maintained roads, there are more than 3,400 miles of publicly maintained roads in Spartanburg County, said Blackwell

"To provide a visual, if you lined up all the publicly maintained roadways, end to end, it would stretch from Spartanburg to the Alaska state border," Blackwell said.

According to the list of projects slated for funding by the penny tax, the county plans to spend between $23 and $30 million in each of the six years of the penny tax on county-maintained roads.

"In total, there are over $165 million worth of proposed improvements to the county-maintained asphalt network," Blackwell said.

The other two-thirds of penny tax revenues will be used with other funds for state and local municipality-maintained roads, bridges and intersections, she said.

For example, she said major state and U.S. roads such as Highways 290, 296, 101, 221, 29 and Southport Road handle higher volumes of daily traffic compared to county and municipal roads and are just as important to local motorists, she said.

Spartanburg County plans to combine local and state funds

Blackwell said local funds will be added to DOT funds to complete DOT projects "that otherwise would not be completed."

"Through a coordinated effort with the DOT, projects were identified that are not in the DOT's planning horizon – meaning there is currently no funding within the upcoming six-year planning window to complete the DOT pavement projects listed," she said.

Blackwell added most projects on the list are those in areas of higher growth and on roads with higher traffic volumes.

"Pavement condition is one of the most – if not the most – common complaints we receive from citizens," she said. "With that, improving the condition of the asphalt network was a primary goal."

Meyer, a retired Spartanburg Sheriff's Office deputy who has traveled most roads in the county, said his overriding concern is that all roads be safe to drive on.

"It takes money, but I think they're doing the best they can with what they've got right now," he said.

Bob Montgomery covers Spartanburg County politics and growth & development. Reach him via email at bob.montgomery@shj.com.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg Council: Penny tax covers $500 million needed for repairs