Why the two-cent increase in the gas tax

Since Wednesday, drivers in South Carolina have been paying a two-cent increase in the state gas tax.  The DOT says it’s for a good cause:  road and bridge work.  Besides $1.3 billion of work already under contract, the latest increase makes possible an additional 661 miles of paving projects approved by the transportation commission in June.  “We encourage every citizen of the state to visit our gas tax transparency web page and view the accountability reports outlining the use of the new funding as well as the projects listed by county,” said Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall.  According to her agency, none of the new gas tax funding has been allocated to the State Infrastructure Bank, the SC 51 project in Florence, the Mark Clark Extension Project in Charleston, I-73, or the Panthers interchange in Rock Hill.  Instead these added taxes are allocated for paving projects, rural road safety projects, interstate widening projects, and a few bridge replacement projects.