COLUMBIA — South Carolina arguably has more road than it can reasonably manage.

By land-area, the state ranks 40th among all states, and 23rd by population. But by linear mileage, the state’s highway system — that is, the roads under the direct oversight of the S.C. Department of Transportation — ranks fourth-largest in the nation, a massive infrastructure obligation that will cost the state roughly $2.76 billion to maintain this fiscal year.

And even that might not be enough.

Despite the growth of DOT’s construction program from $4.8 billion in 2023 to a whopping $6.2 billion last year, numerous roads under state control continue to be neglected each year simply due to the lack of funding or manpower available to repair them.

According to Transportation Secretary Justin Powell, the

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