SC Road Claims & lawsuits Against the Transportation Dept.

  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)–  A newspaper reports that South Carolina has paid about $40 million since 2010 to settle road claims and lawsuits against the Transportation Department, much of that involving damages caused by potholes. The State newspaper in Columbia reports reports the number of claims has averaged 2,600 over the past two years, up from 1,600 a year on average during the four preceding years. More than half the claims against DOT since 2010 have been for damage caused by potholes. In the 2005-2006 budget year, the state paid $4.3 million to settle claims against the Transportation Department. Costs reached $8.2 million in 2014.