The cost of COVID-19: Fewer drivers, less road work money in York, Lancaster, Chester
Fewer cars on the road during COVID-19 social distancing could have a lasting impact on the roads that get drivers through York, Lancaster and Chester counties.
It just isn’t known yet how extensive the coronavirus impact will be.
At a May 21 transportation committee meeting, the South Carolina Department of Transportation reported its financial forecast. The agency projects a $78 million reduction April through July due to COVID-19. That amount includes $54 million less from gas tax revenue and $24 million less from vehicle sales tax.
A release by the state agency the following day states traffic volume monitoring began at the start of the public health emergency. There were significant traffic volume drops in March and April. Traffic began to pick up in May.
Traffic is down 20% for March, 45% for April and 25% for May compared to 2019.
“We expect traffic volumes to continue to climb as the state emerges from the pandemic, and we expect the revenue gap to close over time,” transportation secretary Christy Hall said in the release.
An updated projection will come based on observations through July. Department plans now anticipate a longer recovery period, up to two years, with a potential total impact of $293 million.
“Like everyone else trying to forecast the economic impact of this virus, it is unknown whether it will take six months or more than a year for revenues to return to pre-pandemic levels,” Hall said.
The internal department operating budget will be cut 11% for the rest of this fiscal year.
Road and bridge repair
In 2017, South Carolina legislators passed a bill to increase the gas tax. The incremental revenue increases would fund a 10-year capital plan to replace 465 bridges, improve 140 miles of interstate, add 1,000 miles of safety features to rural roads and double resurfacing statewide.
In the statement from Friday, Hall addressed ongoing projects.
“We are confident that the planning and preparation we have done will allow us to manage through this with no disruption to our core priorities including the road and bridge projects currently under construction,” Hall said. “We will closely monitor the situation over the next several months and plan to continue to advance our road and bridge program aligned to the revenue stream.”
York County has 24 bridge replacement and highway safety projects. Nine projects have started or have a planned 2020 start. They include bridges on U.S. 21 Business in Fort Mill, U.S. 321 over Allison Creek and over Manchester Creek in Rock Hill.
Safety improvements to S.C. 5 coming in from the Chester County line is one of more than a dozen projects without a listed start date.
Berry Mattox, SCDOT project manager, said it isn’t clear yet what local projects might be impacted.
“I am unaware of any specific projects that will be impacted,” he said. “However, the (county transportation) allocations will be significantly reduced based on actual gas tax receipts.”
Lancaster and Chester counties
Lancaster County has 27 projects listed in the 10-year plan. Of 21 bridge projects, two are complete. One more each — U.S. 521 and S.C. 51 — began construction in 2019 and 2020. Two on S.C. 9 should start in 2025. The rest don’t have estimated completion dates.
Only one of the rural highway safety projects has a work schedule. Work began in 2018 on U.S. 521 from Arrowood Avenue to Henry Harris Road. A schedule is still to be determined for work on S.C. 9, S.C. 903 and S.C. 97.
There are three more projects that come up to Lancaster County. Safety improvements that come up to the county line in Kershaw County involve S.C 97 and S.C. 903, as does S.C. 97 coming from Chester County.
Chester County has 13 projects on the list. Seven involve bridge replacement. Six relate to rural highway safety. Another project, a four-bridge replacement over the Broad River, spans both Chester and Union counties.
A bridge over Little Rocky Branch in Chester County is complete, with 2020 completion dates set for two bridges on Rambo Road and one on Mofitt Creek Road over Little Rocky Branch. S.C. 72 bridges over South Fork and Bear creeks have 2025 estimated completion dates. A bridge over Rocky Creek at S.C. 901 doesn’t have an estimated completion date.
Rural road safety projects cover S.C. 215 from the Fairfield County line to West End Road near S.C. 72; S.C. 72 from J.A. Cochran Bypass to S.C. 324 East; three phases of S.C. 97 from Peden Bridge Road to the Lancaster County line and U.S. 21 from S.C. 97 to S.C. 91. None of those projects has an estimated completion date.
SCDOT work
The transportation department does more than just the 10-year plan. In this area SCDOT routinely works with Pennies for Progress and Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study projects. Some of those projects are large and key to regional transportation, like I-77 interchanges at S.C. 160 or Cherry Road. The transportation department also is involved in the interchange project coming as part of the Carolina Panthers headquarters move to Rock Hill.
A map SCDOT projects in York, Lancaster and Chester counties shows several dozen items. They range from improvements along I-77 to rural road widening and resurfacing. Intersection improvements and additions to turn lanes cover major thoroughfares.
When RFATS holds its monthly policy committee meeting on Friday, updates will be given on the S.C. 160 and I-77 interchanges along with U.S. 521 in Indian Land. An update comes for Pennies for Progress, too. Pennies, like SCDOT, relies on tax funding to build or improve roads.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 8:25 AM.
