COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina lawmakers are working to modernize the state’s infrastructure as the population is projected to increase by around 1.5 million people over the next two decades.

The House Department of Transportation Ad Hoc Committee has been examining how to ensure the state’s roads and bridges keep up with growth, focusing on funding mechanisms beyond the current system that relies heavily on gas taxes and vehicle sales taxes.

Frank Rainwater, the state’s lead budget forecaster as executive director of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, told the committee Tuesday that projections show South Carolina’s population growing from 2020 to 2040 from 5.1 million people to an estimated 6.6 million.

“That’s a pretty sizable increase, so again, more demand for roads —

See Full Page