Title 57, Highways, Bridges and Ferries

(A) As used in this section: (1) "Electronic toll collection system" means a system of collecting tolls or charges which is capable of charging an account holder the appropriate toll or charge by transmission of information from an electronic device on a motor vehicle to the toll…

The entire cost of the rights-of-way for state highway construction in municipalities shall be paid for from the state highway fund, as authorized in Section 57-5-140, on the same basis as rights-of-way are paid for in rural areas, and also that the Department of Transportation s…

The Department of Transportation is authorized to enter into agreement with the United States Atomic Energy Commission and such other parties as may be necessary to accept and place into the state highway system portions of the highways formerly designated as Nos. 28 and 125 lyin…

Except with the approval of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, the Department of Transportation shall not let any highway construction contracts unless reserves for such contracts shall have been provided for out of either (a) current balances in the state highway fund, (…

Awards by the department of construction contracts for ten thousand dollars and more shall be made only after the work to be awarded has been advertised for at least two weeks in one or more daily newspapers in this State, but where circumstances warrant, the department may adver…

(A) The department may award highway construction contracts using a design-build procedure. A design-build contract means an agreement that provides for the design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction of a project by a single entity. The design-build contract may also prov…

No construction contract may be extended to include work not contemplated in the original award, except within the limitations imposed by the contract. Where in the judgment of the Secretary of the Department of Transportation it is in the public's interest and prices advantageou…

The Department may, without formalities of advertising, enter into lawful and appropriate agreements and contracts with railroad companies for the construction, reconstruction, or modifications of railroad-highway grade separation crossings or track or other property rearrangemen…

The Department may establish such reasonable regulations as the Department may deem appropriate with respect to the qualifications of contractors allowed to bid on work of the Department. Such regulations may fix eligibility requirements for bidders according to available capital…

(a) The Department of Transportation shall require that the contractor on every public highway construction contract, exceeding ten thousand dollars, furnish the Department of Transportation, county, or road district the following bonds, which shall become binding upon the award …

The Department may determine losses sustained by contractors engaged on State highway projects incident to the suspension of work on such project by a court injunction order and may compensate such contractors for the amounts of the losses so determined. But this authority shall …

In order to protect the national security, the regulations may include provisions to restrict the area of the highway within the limits of the Savannah River Project to vehicular traffic, capable of maintaining the minimum posted speed limit; to designate any and all points of ac…

Nothing in Sections 57-5-1620 to 57-5-1640, 57-5-1680 and 57-5-1690 shall affect the dealings of the Department with the Federal Government, the State government or any political subdivisions thereof or any agency or department of any of them.

Upon execution of an agreement with the Atomic Energy Commission, the Department of Transportation shall file with the Secretary of State a copy of the agreement and shall publicly declare the date on which the highway shall be a part of the state highway system. After such execu…

Any person convicted of violating the provisions of Sections 57-5-160 through 57-5-180 may be punished in any court of competent jurisdiction by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or imprisonment for not more than thirty days.

The I-526 bridge and interchange that span U.S. Highway 17 and U.S. Highway 7 in Charleston County is named the "Bob Harrell Bridge and Interchange" in honor of this distinguished South Carolinian. The Department of Transportation shall install appropriate markers or signs at thi…

The interstate system of highways shall consist of the segments of highways in South Carolina in the officially designated national system of interstate and defense highways.

The state highway primary system shall consist of a connected system of principal state highways, not to exceed ten thousand miles, connecting centers of population, as determined by the Commission of the Department of Transportation.

The commission and the Department of Transportation may own such real estate, in fee simple or by lease, as shall be deemed necessary for the purpose of facilitating the proper operation of the department or for the building and maintenance of the public highways in the state hig…

The department may acquire an easement or fee simple title to real property by gift, purchase, condemnation or otherwise as may be necessary, in the judgment of the department, for the construction, maintenance, improvement or safe operation of highways in this State or any secti…

The minimum width of the right-of-way required for the construction, maintenance and safe operation of state highways is hereby fixed at sixty-six feet. But the department, in its discretion, may accept a lesser width than sixty-six feet within incorporated towns or where existin…

The department shall continuously inventory all of its real property. When, in the judgment of the department any real estate acquired as provided in this chapter is no longer necessary for the proper operation of the department or highway systems, the department shall vigorously…

The department shall neither lease nor sell any part of the state highway primary system, rights-of-way or any of the controlled-access highway facilities for commercial enterprise activities, except public utilities, which were acquired by easement. This shall not serve to preve…

Whenever the department is required or authorized by law to construct or improve streets within municipalities, the municipality or the department may condemn additional land necessary for the improvement of the streets or property within the municipality required for materials w…

The department, for the purpose of acquiring property as authorized by Section 57-5-320, may condemn lands, rights-of-way, and easements of railroad, railway, telegraph, or other public service corporations, provided that the condemnation does not impair the ability of the railro…

The state highway secondary system shall consist of all roads, streets and highways in the state highway system not otherwise designated as highways in the interstate system or the state highway primary system.

The commission may transfer any route or section of route from the state highway secondary system to the state highway primary system, or vice versa, when, in its judgment, such transfer is advisable to better serve the traveling public.

When the department condemns property, the award shall be paid by the department.

All deeds or other instruments conveying, or intended to convey, a right-of-way and the original papers in all condemnation proceedings to acquire a right-of-way for any state highway shall be filed by the department in its offices at Columbia, and a direct index of all such deed…

The department shall maintain in the office of the tax assessor for each of the several counties a copy of all highway plans on which are indicated the widths of the rights-of-way for each road in the related district or county and an alphabetical list of property owners on each …

The department may charge, as part of the cost of construction, the costs of rights-of-way necessary in connection with the improvement or construction of any state highway project.

Nothing herein contained shall be construed to divest the county authorities of the right to condemn for highway purposes, but the rights herein granted are concurrent with the rights and powers of governing bodies of counties and they may still condemn property for highway purpo…

The department may add to the state highway primary system any sections or connections which, in the judgment of the department may be necessary in the proper development of the federal-aid primary highway system or the state highway primary system.

Whenever the Department of Transportation shall determine that any property previously acquired for right-of-way is not required for either right-of-way or departmental purposes, it may expressly abandon that right-of-way or property or any portion thereof, or may grant written p…

A county or municipality and the department may by mutual consent agree to transfer a road from the county or municipal road system to the state highway system. The transfer may be of the road "as is", without further improvement to the road or upon such terms and conditions as t…

Except as otherwise provided by law, the construction of the state highway system shall be carried on simultaneously in each of the highway districts of the State, and the commission shall determine and arrange the order of the work in a fair and equitable manner among the counti…

The Department of Transportation shall construct the highways in the state highway primary system and the highways in the state highway secondary system to standards commensurate with the amount and types of traffic services to be rendered by the highways in the respective system…

The Department may remove, when practicable, view-obstructing banks of dirt that exist at the intersections of any State highway with another State highway or with any other public highway.

The Department may construct Federal-aid secondary or feeder highways, including farm-to-market roads, on such highways or sections of highways as may be necessary to comply with Federal-aid statutes and governing regulations of the Federal Highway Administration with respect the…

The Department may contract with any of the counties in this State for the construction and improvement by any such county of any farm-to-market road in the State highway system within such county and may pay for the construction and improvement of such road, provided the cost of…

The Department of Transportation is hereby authorized to enter into reimbursement agreements with the several counties of the State for the construction of farm-to-market and secondary roads financed through the issuance of bonds and reimbursed from funds accruing under the provi…

When, in the construction or repair of any State highway, a third less may be expended by the State, in conjunction with other funds herein provided for, for the approach to or the crossing of any waterway, creek or river, through the building of a dam, levee or other facility fo…

Any such agreement executed by other than the Department shall be valid and binding when signed by such person as may agree to donate or appropriate funds for such project, and the signing by the executive officers of a private corporation, municipality or county shall be a suffi…

Any such structure and all parts thereof shall be made according to plans and specifications approved by the Department.

The department may transfer from the state highway secondary system any road under its jurisdiction, determined by the department to be of low traffic importance, to one of the parties indicated in this section if mutual consent is reached between the department and the party tha…

The Department, in its discretion, may expend as provided herein upon such project as is mentioned in Section 57-5-770, whether it be the immediate approach, bridge or highway immediately affected thereby or a water-controlling device, two thirds of the amount estimated as necess…