Are Your Tires Feeling Tired? Here’s How You Can Help Fix SC Roads
If you’ve been around South Carolina for any length of time, you’ve heard the grumbling about our state roads. The subject of many jokes and complaints about the state over the years, there seems to be a common belief that the Palmetto State is among the worst in the nation for roads and other infrastructure. The good news is that it does not have to be this way. While our team at Palmetto Promise is committed to working with state leaders on a long-term solution to our state infrastructure (both roads and bridges), there are ways for you as a citizen to get involved now and make sure your road complaints are being heard.
1. Report a Pothole
In recent years, the South Carolina Department of Transportation has ramped up efforts to repair South Carolina roads. One way South Carolina citizens can help is by reporting potholes and other roads that need fixing to SCDOT through their Pothole Blitz form, where you can submit a pothole report for SCDOT to fix. A Palmetto Promise staff member tried this and found the offending pothole filled within a few weeks. So, South Carolinians, use your frustration with our roads to promote progress by reporting maintenance issues to SCDOT.
2. Contact the Right Person
Another way to request road maintenance and check SCDOT’s project schedule is through the SC Roadway Data tool, where you can view which roads in the state are managed at the local level, and which ones are managed at the state level. That way, you know whether to call your county councilman or your state representative with complaints or questions about road conditions. Citizens can track what roads are under maintenance or scheduled for upcoming projects through SCDOT’s Project Viewer.
3. Make Them Pay
There’s no better way to encourage South Carolina to fix our roads than putting them on the hook for damage caused to your vehicle. If you ever find your vehicle damaged on state-maintained roads throughout South Carolina, you may be entitled to a damage claim. In adherence with the SC Tort Claims Act, the South Carolina Department of Transportation is obligated to resolve claims concerning vehicular damage on state-managed roads promptly. By filling out the damage claim form on the SCDOT webpage, you will be able to follow step by step instructions guiding you to help.
Further infrastructure improvement efforts by the South Carolina Department of Transportation have been initiated with the 2025- 2026 Pavement Improvement Program. Within this program, state funding is distributed evenly for paving across all counties in South Carolina. As reported by the South Carolina Department of Transportation, “The additional 732 miles of paving projects contained in the 2025-2026 Pavement Improvement Program will be added to the previously approved 7,700 miles of paving projects advanced since the implementation of Act 40 of 2017.”
South Carolina is, without a doubt, continuously making progress on roads throughout the state. We have a long way to go, but while once notorious for having some of the worst roads in the country, the Palmetto State is making promising strides for improvement. At Palmetto Promise, we value the safety of our fellow citizens and are committed to seeing South Carolina roads well-maintained, preventing damage to drivers and their vehicles. For more details on road work conditions, state and non-state-maintained roads, and road inventory, check out the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
