S.C. Bill Would Require Trash Clean Up before Mowing
Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at 12:38AM COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina lawmaker who once had his passenger window shattered by a piece of metal thrown up by a roadside lawn mower is pushing a bill to require contractors to clean up trash before they mow near highways.
Rep. Richie Yow's bill would also require contractors to make sure the highway is clear of grass and other debris after the workers finish mowing, The Post and Courier of Charleston reported.
The Chesterfield Republican was driving on a rural highway in his district when the metal was flung onto his window.
“If the window would’ve been down, it could’ve been dangerous,” Yow said at a subcommittee hearing on the bill Tuesday.
And the aftermath of mowing can be dangerous too. Columbia attorney Chad Fuller said he is representing a Horry County motorcyclist whose medical expenses have topped $400,000 after breaking his leg in four places after wrecking his bike on a clump of mowed grass in the road.
The Department of Transportation warned lawmakers that the bill as written could be expensive. Yow's proposal could double the $20 million the state pays now for mowing contracts based on how much litter has been picked up on South Carolina interstates in the past six months and what neighboring states pay for similar work, said Andy Leaphart, DOT’s chief engineer for operations.
The subcommittee postponed a vote on the bill while Yow talked to the DOT about how to possibly lessen expenses.
There is plenty of trash on South Carolina's roads. Last month alone, the state’s 22 inmate litter crews picked up nearly 9,400 bags of trash along 760 miles (1,220 kilometers). In 2019, they picked up more than 110,000 bags of trash total. The program, which requires one officer per crew, costs Corrections about $1 million a year, according to the state prisons agency.