South Carolina has shelled out nearly $40 million since 2010 to settle road claims and lawsuits against the S.C. Transportation Department.
In the 2005-2006 budget year, the state paid $4.3 million to settle claims against the Transportation Department. Costs reached $8.2 million in 2014.
Driven by pothole damages, the number of claims has climbed — averaging 2,600 over the past two years, up from 1,600 a year on average during the four preceding years.
S.C. Transportation Secretary Christy Hall said the poor condition of the state’s roads are contributing to a rise in costs and claims against the state. “The declining condition of our road network — of the poor pavement conditions that we have going on — and our huge backlog of deferred maintenance is certainly contributing to the growth in that number.”
S.C. Chamber of Commerce president Ted Pitts is not surprised by how much the state has paid to settle road claims against DOT.
But it is a poor use of state money, he said. “Ask any taxpayer ... they’re going to tell you that’s a waste of taxpayer dollars.”