About
the Plan
Welcome and thank you for taking the time to learn about the 2050 statewide multimodal transportation plan (SMTP) Momentum 2050: Moving South Carolina Forward.
Your inclusion and involvement are very important.
Get Involved with Momentum 2050
About
The
Planning
Process
The Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is a significant project that requires a comprehensive and thorough planning process. The information below provides a detailed explanation of the various phases of the planning process, from analyzing current transportation conditions to the adoption and implementation of the LRTP. We believe that transparency and public engagement are essential components of the planning process, and we encourage stakeholders and the public to get involved and provide feedback throughout the process.
Building
on
Success:
From 2040
to 2050
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is looking at the best way to move people and goods across the state. In South Carolina, we face many changes. These shifts — in population, communities, businesses, environment, safety, and travel behavior — affect how people and goods move throughout the state. It is important we proactively plan to address these changes, so we can deliver a multimodal transportation system that maximizes the safety of people, the environment, and our economy.
That’s why, every five years SCDOT writes a plan for the future of the state’s multimodal transportation network. The document is a statewide plan for all users, all modes and any area that has a role in South Carolina’s transportation system. It evaluates the status of the transportation system, what’s changing, and how we’re going to move forward over the next twenty-five years. This plan does not choose specific projects or decide what will be built where, but it develops the vision and goals for the future of transportation in South Carolina.
The work is so important to the success of the future system that it is required under both federal and state law. Whether you travel by foot, two wheels or more, by bus, by rail, by boat or airplane, Momentum 2050 will Move South Carolina Forward.
Have Questions?
Goals &
Objectives
Momentum 2050 is a significant project that requires a comprehensive and thorough planning process. This section provides a detailed explanation of the various phases of the planning process, from analyzing current transportation conditions to the adoption and implementation of the LRTP. We believe that transparency and public engagement are essential components of the planning process, and we encourage stakeholders and the public to get involved and provide feedback throughout the process.
GOAL #1
Systemically invest in a resilient, world-class interstate system to support the movement of freight and people across South Carolina to keep South Carolina’s economy growing.
- Improve interstates to support economic development and growing population.
- Systemically maintain interstate bridges and pavement.
- Address interstate segments and interchanges with inadequate designs to meet current standards, improve safety, and reduce congestion at interchanges.
GOAL #2
Promote the continued prosperity of South Carolina’s urban areas to ensure consistent mobility across the economic hubs through multiple modes.
- Improve mobility and efficiency of state highways in growing urban areas.
- Develop and improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities in urban areas to provide safe travel options.
- Improve public transportation in urban areas.
- Improve safety for all travelers in urban areas.
GOAL #3
Better connect rural South Carolina to the global economy by improving access to rural communities for job opportunities and economic development.
- Develop a comprehensive rural freight network.
- Improve safety on rural roads.
- Improve bridge conditions on rural routes.
- Improve rural transit to connect the workforce to employment opportunities.
GOAL #4
Leverage other modes to support South Carolina’s continued prosperity.
- Invest in providing connections to potential inland port locations.
- Improve statewide trails and connections.
- Improve highway access to critical commercial and air cargo airports.
Understanding the Present and
Forecasting the Future
Much has changed in South Carolina and the world since South Carolina’s 2040 statewide multimodal transportation plan, which it last updated in 2020. The 2050 statewide multimodal transportation plan Momentum 2050 is an opportunity to build upon the previous plan in several key areas including:
SCDOT will study transportation today and how travel in South Carolina may change by 2050. This will help the department to understand people’s and businesses’ future transportation priorities and needs. To do this, the plan will identify where population is growing and shrinking, how the state’s economy is changing, and when new technologies – like cars that drive themselves – may be available.
Like every household and business, SCDOT has a limited budget for meeting transportation needs. Comparing the state’s transportation needs and revenue forecasts can help decide which needs are the largest priorities and spur innovative ways to meet them. SCDOT will forecast federal and state transportation revenue. It is important to account for the many trends that impact the revenue forecast, like population, inflation, how much gas cars burn, and how many electric vehicles are on the roads.
The plan will develop “scenarios” for what the future may look like. Scenarios are not about picking what we want for the future, but instead about seeing the directions that the future could take, since we know that there will be surprises in the future. Some of these futures would make it harder to achieve South Carolina’s transportation priorities, and knowing that helps SCDOT prepare for them.
Finally, SCDOT will use everything that it has learned to make an action-oriented plan that will guide its decision-making in achieving South Carolina’s transportation priorities.