South Carolina lawmakers nudged a major transportation overhaul closer to the finish line on April 30, advancing a bill that would let the state build tolled “choice” lanes and cut deals with private companies to help pay for them. The proposal reaches all the way to the North Carolina border and throws fresh fuel on the already hot debate over the I‑77 South express‑lanes project that North Carolina officials want to build from Uptown Charlotte to the state line.
What S. 831 Would Change
S. 831 would create a new Coordinating Council for Transportation and Mobility, authorize the South Carolina Department of Transportation to enter public‑private partnership agreements, expand the legal authority to charge tolls on managed or “choice” lanes, and let the agency seek federal NEPA assignment for environmental permitting, among several procurement and financing tweaks, according to the South Carolina Legislature. The bill cleared the Senate in March on a 37‑1 vote, moved through the House with changes, and sat in a conference committee…..