Columbia, S.C. (January 5, 2026) - The South Carolina Department of Transportation made tremendous progress in the last year, hitting major milestones in the 10-year plan designed to recover the state network. The 10-year plan was adopted in 2017 as a “fix it first” measure to recover the state highway system:
- More than 1,200 miles of rural road safety projects are underway with a 20% reduction in fatalities and serious injury crashes on completed projects.
- Nearly one-quarter of the state’s 41,000-mile highway system is under contract for paving increasing the percentage of good roads on every single network.
- More than 450 bridges are being repaired or replaced, and these efforts have been expedited with one-time appropriations from the General Assembly. In 2025, project delivery on bridges was three times faster than when the plan started in 2017.
- Progress on interstates includes major improvements at the I-26 and I-20 interchange, the I-26 and I-95 interchange, and widening along nearly every interstate corridor in the state with 121 miles of improvements underway.
In addition to making significant progress building and maintaining critical infrastructure across South Carolina, SCDOT leaders turned their attention to streamlining operations and reducing unnecessary regulations, including a proposed 30% regulatory reduction this year.
In a series of public hearings held in late 2025 by the South Carolina House of Representatives SCDOT modernization committee, Secretary Powell discussed improving performance and project delivery. He also discussed the challenges facing the agency:
- Diminishing buying power due to the impacts of inflation. In 2017, one cent of the gas tax paid for 114 miles of 2-lane resurfacing and in 2025, that same penny pays for only 87 miles.
- Rapid growth rates across the state. South Carolina is expected to have over 6 million residents by 2040.
- Congestion and delay continue to be a primary concern for drivers in South Carolina. Congestion has increased in areas that have seen the most growth along the coast, near urban centers, and in the Charlotte suburbs.
SCDOT is ready to meet those challenges in the new year and beyond. Some of those future plans include improving state-wide transportation planning, diversifying revenue sources, and exploring new tools that will support a modern transportation system.
SCDOT submitted an amended budget request to Governor Henry McMaster to ensure that the agency can maintain the momentum since the 2017 roads bill that the Governor included in his recent proposed budget. SCDOT has a pipeline of road and bridge projects identified and ready to go in 2026 and 2027. The memo, available here, details the progress made to date in repairing and reconstructing the state’s road and bridge network and outlining additional investment opportunities to expedite projects underway and send even more projects forward to construction.
Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell said, “I appreciate the Governor’s consideration of this request and the inclusion of an additional $1.1 billion for transformative infrastructure in his proposed budget. The kind of generational progress we are making cannot happen without diligent hard work, considered investment, and all of South Carolina working together as a team. I remain committed to delivering a modern transportation system for this state and to ensuring SCDOT is doing everything within our power to improve the lives of our citizens.”