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County pavement plan shows solid network but flags funding needed to meet higher goals
Summary
Consultant Jay Thompson told the Beaufort County Transportation Committee that the county’s roadway network scores 84.4 PCI and is in good condition overall, but a 10‑year model shows the county needs about $2.0–$2.5 million annually to maintain an 80 PCI and $3.0–$3.5 million to reach a 90% 'very good/good' target; the plan excludes high‑volume parkways pending a sales‑tax referendum.
Beaufort County Transportation Committee members heard a detailed 10‑year pavement management briefing on July 15 from Jay Thompson of ICE, who said the county’s network currently scores 84.4 on the pavement condition index (PCI) and that more than 85% of local roads are in good or very good condition.
"The overall score for the network is 84.4," Thompson said, describing the data collection and the strategy and prioritization work his firm completed. He told the committee the firm ran thousands of scenarios that combine preservation, rehabilitation and reconstruction treatments and that the best performing strategy balanced traffic weighting with targeted use of rejuvenator treatments.
Thompson said the modelling assumes a baseline annual funding level of $2,000,000 (the current approved county budget for county‑owned roads), and that, excluding high‑volume parkways and Daufuskie Island roads, the county would need roughly $2.0–$2.5 million per year to maintain an average PCI near 80. "In order to get 90% of the system in very good and good," he said, "you would need between 3 and 3 and a half million per year." He also noted the model includes a 3% annual inflation factor to reflect rising construction costs.
The consultant recommended removing high‑volume corridors such as Bluffton Parkway and Buckwalter Parkway from the standard county rehabilitation program because those corridors consume a disproportionate share of funds; those high‑volume roads are being planned separately and are expected to be addressed through the pending sales‑tax referendum. With the reduced system size, ICE projected the county could reach near‑goal performance with lower annual funding than would be required if the high‑volume roads were included.
Thompson said the final plan being prepared will include project‑level quantities and cost details for years one and two and that the county will be able to put the first‑year contract out to bid once the report is finalized. He also noted the county’s asset inventory now includes roughly 3,500 signs, and staff can target these assets for separate contracts if funds are made available.
Committee members pressed on prioritization rules and whether average daily traffic (ADT) was considered; Thompson said traffic was used as 25% of a weighted score with condition counting for the remaining 75% in the traffic‑prioritized runs. Staff confirmed the report will include an appendix with scenario results and that Fort Marsh analysis will be incorporated in the final draft.
The committee asked staff to return with the final draft and recommended quantities; the consultant and county staff said they expect to finish drafting and begin procurement actions for year‑one work shortly.
