| Tweet |
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Commission approved the use of nearly $30 million in federal stimulus dollars on April 16 for local highway projects in three of the state’s six Congressional districts. The funding is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed into law in February.
SCDOT received a total allocation of $463 million from the ARRA. The law requires the agency to spend at least 30 percent of the funding for local projects, including large urban areas. In February the commission chose to increase that percentage to 33 percent. After the required ARRA local formula allocation to the large urban areas, the commission had $106 million remaining for projects to be coordinated with local governments.
The Commission agreed at its March meeting to divide the $106 million equally among the six Congressional districts, with each District receiving $17.752 million. Each commissioner began meeting with local government organizations in their respective districts to prioritize and recommend projects that met the ARRA act requirements.
The 2nd Congressional District, represented by Commissioner Henry Taylor, was allocated $7,814,121.
The allocation included $2,210,734 for the resurfacing of rural highways in Beaufort County, and $709,325 for roadwork in Jasper County. Earlier, on April 2, the Commission approved the use of just over $46 million in federal stimulus dollars for local highway projects in five Congressional districts.
The allocation of $9.938 million for the 2nd Congressional District included the following projects:
- $2.5 million – Widening of Simmonsville Road in Beaufort County. ARRA funds combined with local funding will complete the financing needed to widen the existing two-lane road from U.S. 278 to Bluffton Parkway.
- $4.5 million – Widening of S.C. 46 (Bluffton Road) in Beaufort County. ARRA funds and local funds will complete the financing needed for widening this two-lane road from U.S. 278 to Bluffton Village.
