Large county and state paving programs

The road and bridge manager for Oconee County says the largest contract in his 12-year time with the county is to be released in the next two weeks.  Kyle Reid made the announcement at yesterday’s first in-person meeting of the county’s state “C” fund committee since prior to COVID-19.  And the committee chairman, Sam Dickson, said there are to be “25 to 30” road paving projects in the contract.  The “C” committee, applying funds from the state DOT, allocated more than one million dollars toward the work, as the result of an action taken by the three-man committee last October.  Kyle Reid’s announcement came same day as the South Carolina Department of Transportation reported that gas tax revenue in 2021-22 will allow for history’s largest state paving program.  Funds amounting to $642 million are to include what’s generated by a two-cent tax increase to take effect at South Carolina pumps July 1.    The state’s new plan is to include projects in all of South Carolina’s 46 counties, and is in addition to $1.7 billion in projects that the SC-DOT is currently implementing in the fourth year of a 10-year plan to improve road quality.  An inter-active map display shows three Oconee projects:  6.40 miles along s. highway 11; 6.13 miles on Country Junction Road; and 3.53 miles on Welcome Church Road.