Mark Clark Expansion Project

I wanted to post a comment to the article today in the Post and Courier about the Mark Clark Expansion, but the comments are always so unreasonable that it doesn't seem worth it. Better to just comment on the blogosphere.

Here is the article: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/jan/28/sc-dot-and-charleston-county-clash-over-mark-clark/

Basically, the article says that Charleston County rejects the SC Transportation Secretary hard-line stance on the Mark Clark Expansion Project. The hard-line stance is that Charleston County cannot use the money set aside for the Expansion for some other use. I don't pretend to have a detailed understand of the nuances of the Expansion and, admittedly, that might be my problem. But, barring some critical fact, I think it is wrong for the Secretary to take the position that he is taking.

Here is the situation as I understand it. The current Mark Clark (I-526) is basically a semi-circle around Charleston. When the Mark Clark (I-526) was first built, the plan was that the first phase would build a semi-circle and then eventually there would be a second phase to extend the Mark Clark to be a circle around Charleston. The time for the second has now arrived and that is the issue. There is money that is set aside for the project. I believe that only a part of the money is set aside, but there is also the authority to borrow the remaining amount. The total comes to more than 500 million, if I am correct. However, now that they are planning to implement the second phase, there are genuine questions about the usefulness of the Expansion. Some of the questions are environmental. Others concern the people who would be displaced by the government taking. And there is also concern that the benefits of the project, namely speeding up communiting and aleviating traffic, would be minimal. To these issues, Charleston County is essentially saying, "sure, we are of course going to spend 500 million dollars if you give it to us, but why don't we use the 500 million dollars for a more useful project." To that, the Secretary has essentially responded that the only use for that 500 million dollars is the Expansion. I am sure that is oversimplified, but that is my understanding.

This brings me to my point: why doesn't the Secretary negotiate with Charleston County? Would it not be reasonable to agree to use the 500 million dollars for repairs of Charleston County roads and/or perhaps a widing of parts of I-26 (perhaps between Summerville and Jedberg), assuming that there would be a better return on that investment (I think that is a safe assumption)? Why force Charleston County to essentially waste the money?

Of course, Charleston County is going to spend the money if it has to. But, it seems clear that they would be spending money on a project with a very low return. Is that exactly the knock against government?

I suppose you could say that the Secretary is negotiating. Perhaps the Secretary is taking a hard line stance because he wants to force Charleston County into settling for less money. Still, I would think that he would at least show that he was opening to budging in some way or make it clear what his concerns are. Perhaps the concern has to do with the law regarding the appropriation of the funds? Ok, if that is so, then tell Charleston County that you would like to negotiate, but your hands are tied.

Ultimately, I think the answer might be to replace the Secretary. With a new governor in the state - one who claims to be focused on efficiency and against government waste - one would think that she could just replace the Secretary and bring in someone more reasonable.