The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is a

government agency A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...

in the US state of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. Its mission is to build and maintain roads and bridges and administer

mass transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

services. By

state law State law refers to the law of a federated state, as distinguished from the law of the federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, o ...

, the SCDOT's function and purpose is the systematic planning, construction, maintenance, and operation of the state highway system and the development of a statewide mass transit system that is consistent with the needs and desires of the public. The SCDOT also coordinates all state and federal programs relating to highways. The goal of the SCDOT is to provide adequate, safe, and efficient transportation services for the movement of people and goods.

History

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is still familiarly known as the Highway Department, which is what the agency was called until May 13, 1977 when an act of the

South Carolina General Assembly The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and ...

reformed the agency as the Department of Highways and Public Transportation (SCDHPT). The current name, the Department of Transportation, was established in the State Government Restructuring Act of 1993. This act split functions of the SCDHPT to establish the SCDOT and the Department of Public Safety. The roots of the state agency trace back to the establishment of a five-member highway commission in 1917. Prior to 1917, county governments were entirely responsible for building and maintaining roads. The Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 and the promise of federal money to build highways served as the impetus for the creation of the commission. However, the commission lacked "the authority to designate roads to be improved with federal funds and the power to supervise directly the work being done".

Organization

Commission and Secretary

The SCDOT is a department of the state government in the

executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ...

that reports to a cabinet secretary and a seven-member commission. The Governor appoints one member of the commission and the Secretary of Transportation, who is a member of the Governor's cabinet. The current secretary is Christy A. Hall. The other six commissioners each represent a district. The commission districts coincide with the

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

of South Carolina. The commissioner is appointed for a term of four years by legislative delegation for that district, that is, the members of the General Assembly that represent voters in that district. The chairman is selected from among all seven members by a vote of the commission. The secretary hires the division heads, who are known as Deputy Secretaries.

Divisions of the SCDOT

The SCDOT has at least three divisions: Engineering, Intermodal Planning, and Finance and Procurement. The SCDOT is a centralized government agency. Planning, design, procurement, finance, and human resource functions all operate from the central office, or headquarters, in the

state capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

. The headquarters building is named for

Silas N. Pearman Silas or Silvanus (; Greek: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who according to the New Testament accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey. Name and ...

, a former state highway engineer and chief commissioner of the agency.

Intermodal Planning Division

The Intermodal Planning Division comprises the Department of Planning and the Office of Public Transit. The latter oversees and supports the development of a mass transit system and administers the state and federal aid mass transit program.

Engineering Division

The Engineering division is the largest part of the agency. The Deputy Secretary for this division is traditionally known as the State Highway Engineer. The current Deputy Secretary is Leland Colvin.Leland Colvin This position is generally recognized as the second-ranking person in the agency.

Finance and Procurement Division

The Division of Finance and Procurement is responsible for the federal aid reimbursements and other financial matters of the agency.

Engineering Districts

The SCDOT field offices are divided into seven districts headed by a District Engineering Administrator. The engineering district lines do not follow the same lines as the commission districts. Each District has responsibility for the maintenance, construction, traffic, and equipment (mechanical) operations within its boundaries. A district will oversee six to eight counties. District offices are located in

(District #1), Greenwood (#2), Greenville (#3),

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, (#4),

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

(#5), Charleston (#6), Orangeburg (#7).

References

External links

SCDOT Official Site

South Carolina State Government Site
{{U.S. State Departments of Transportation Transportation in South Carolina State departments of transportation of the United States Government agencies established in 1977 1977 establishments in South Carolina

Transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...