Construction completed on Sumter, Lee roads as part of gas tax

As revenue continues to come in from the state's legislator-approved gas tax, roads in Sumter and Lee counties are beginning to see new pavement.

Four roads were documented by the South Carolina Department of Transportation's photographer, Cody Crouch, as part of the agency's effort to reconstruct the state's roads and bridges as detailed in the department's strategic 10-year plan.

The Statehouse approved in 2017 six annual 2-cent gas tax hikes that will each generate an additional $1 billion a year for the state's roads, according to previously given estimates.

In Sumter County, motorists may have noticed four miles of U.S. 378 heading east having been recently paved beginning at the Richland County line.

"We widened that road four feet on each side, installed rumble strips and [completed] new pavement markings," said Will Fulton, resident construction engineer.

That project was completed in July, according to Brittany Harriot, public information coordinator for SCDOT.

Other roads in Sumter and Lee counties that have recently been completed include:

- S.C. 527 in Lee County (August 2018);

- U.S. 76 in Sumter County (August 2018); and

- Manville St. Charles Road in Lee County (May 2019).

Upcoming resurfacing projects in both counties also include Leonard Brown Road and S.C. 53 north of Turbeville in Sumter County and Elliot Highway in Lee County, all of which should be completed by the end of November, Harriot said.

The state's 10-year plan uses state and federal resources for repairs, maintenance and improvements to the existing highway system in South Carolina.

Officials have said it may take more than a decade to complete the work statewide after three decades of neglect.