LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — A proposal to impose a $5 bridge maintenance fee on registered vehicles in Laurens County was quickly shot down by Laurens County Council, despite local officials saying there upwards of 20 bridges out of service.
According to one council member the fee would have generated an estimated $350,00 a year to fund bridge repairs and replacements. However, the majority of council believed that would not be the best way to generate the nearly $1 million each bridge is going to need.
“The reality is that this fee would not have solved our problem,” Laurens County Councilman for District seven, Justin Lane said. “It would not have fixed the bridges. It would have taken at least 3-5 years before the county could raise enough money to even see any repairs. This would not have solved the problem overnight by any means.”…