Hilton Head Island moves US 278 corridor project forward with vote. Many decisions remain. (2024)

HILTON HEAD ISLAND — After a number of bureaucratic speed bumps, Town Council has taken a significant step forward on a long discussed U.S. 278 bridge project, narrowly meeting multiple deadlines that could have put hundreds of millions of dollars in funding on the line.

On June 28, council members approved memorandums of agreement with Beaufort County and the S.C. Department of Transportation, giving municipal consent for the corridor project to move forward within town limits. The memorandums represents a tangible milestone for a project that has seen several years of discussion with little action.

The agreements also spelled out a number of conditions drafted by council members, including limiting impacts on the historic Stoney neighborhood, the installation of pedestrian overpasses, specific design elements and the evaluation of alternative transportation methods, such as a ferry system.

Converging deadlines

Time constraints put pressure on council to either approve or deny the memorandums by 5 p.m. June 28 — a deadline they made with little time to spare.

The project’s environmental assessment, which is good for three years, is set to expire at the end of June. Without a step forward, millions in funding secured by state Sen. Tom Davis from the S.C. Transportation Infrastructure Bank could have been revoked and reallocated to another project.

DOT will soon be obligated to address the deficiencies of the Mackay Creek bridge, one segment of the four-part bridge system that connect Hilton Head to Bluffton. Focus on the Mackay Creek spans leaves behind the rest of the proposed project, an issue that was restated in a letter from DOT Secretary Justin Powell to Hilton Head Mayor Alan Perry.

In his letter, Powell requested a “clean municipal consent resolution” from council rather than a resolution with stipulations and conditions attached.

“I recognize that this project will make substantive changes to the crossing from Hilton Head Island, as well as the historic gateway onto the island,” Powell wrote. “It is my intent that, if this project does proceed, SCDOT intends to deliver a quality project that meets all state and federal requirements and improves transportation on Hilton Head Island.”

Councilwoman Patsy Brison expressed apprehension over DOT’s request.

“This has troubled me greatly,” Brison said. “This was our last grasp on hearing from the community and making sure that we get it as best we can for the whole community. I don’t like being in this box.”

In the end, council members passed the county’s memorandum 6 to 1, with Councilwoman Tamara Becker casting the lone dissenting vote. The DOT’s memorandum passed 5 to 2, with Brison and Becker in opposition.

Becker spoke adamantly against the memorandums, suggesting a postponement and a deeper look at a park-and-ride alternative.

“I would say that 98 percent of phone calls, texts conversations that I have heard are in favor of us saying ‘no’ to this bridge,” Becker said. “And it’s not that we don’t want safety or a new bridge that meets guidelines. It’s that we don’t want this bridge.”

That opinion was echoed through a lengthy public hearing ahead of the vote, where a majority of people present spoke against the project, citing development frustrations, concern over the increased size of the bridge, complaints about tourism and environmental concerns.

Others spoke in favor of the long-discussed project, calling on a need to address congestion, provide better transportation for the island’s large workforce and pedestrian safety improvements in the Stoney neighborhood.

“The last person who crossed the bridge is, of course, the person who wants to burn the bridge, and that’s not the way it should be,” said island native Morris Campbell. “(The island) is changing, and how do you stop people from coming to a place that everyone else enjoys? I encourage folks, not only town council and county council, but all of us, let’s not make this a divisive issue that we can’t live with.”

Before the final vote, Perry also addressed the divisiveness surrounding the project in recent months.

“This has been a very difficult thing to vote on,” the mayor said. “I’ve lost friends over this. That’s not what it should be about. Every single one of us have our opinions, but we do care about this community. We do listen to everybody to make a decision that is in the best interest, through facts, through engineering, through conversations.”

Project background

The project has taken many conceptual forms over the years. Its most pressing purpose is replacing the structurally deficient eastbound span crossing Mackay Creek. Cooperation among DOT, Beaufort County and the Hilton Head Island government led to an ambitious reimagining of the main corridor onto the island. As it’s envisioned today, a six-lane bridge would be built to replace the system of four bridges that lead to and from the island.

DOT built the Mackay bridge in 1956 and widened it in 1984.

The state agency inspects all bridges in South Carolina at least every two years. Due to the age and condition of the MacKay bridge, DOT inspects it annually.

The last inspection was completed Jan. 12. It rated the structure and substructure as “poor.” While the bridge is safe to drive over, it is approaching the end of its life and has been placed on a statewide priority list.

Consideration of a vote to draft a memorandum of agreement was initially set for a special council meeting June 20. A few days before the meeting, the item was removed from the agenda.

Through the project, Beaufort County and DOT aim to make improvements to the U.S. 278 corridor between Bluffton and Hilton Head Island, from Moss Creek Drive to Spanish Wells Road. While the main purpose is to address bridge structural deficiencies, the town also wants to reduce congestion.

Town staff and elected officials are still considering four options for the final mile stretch of the project within town limits.

The new six-lane bridge and accompanying changes address multiple issues. It will be better equipped to withstand hurricanes, add pedestrian and bike paths, bypass the inevitable replacement or rehabilitation of the other three bridges, and would allow a significant allocation of funding for the town to address congestion issues on the island.

The project also brings challenges. A historic Gullah neighborhood will likely to be impacted. The size of the new bridge has been criticized by residents and the funding of the project, though mostly covered, may require significant contribution from the town depending on which alternative is selected.

Councilman Alex Brown, whose ward includes the Stoney neighborhood, said his decision has not been an easy one. He shared how his experience with the project began several years ago on a committee of citizens tasked with developing plans for the massive project.

“The mere fact that there’s funding associated with improving Stoney, how could you say no to conditions like this? I don’t understand,” Brown said. “I will wholeheartedly be supporting this because it is a chance for us to get it right. It’s a chance for us to repair what has been done in the past.”

DOT has said that its modified proposal, known as Alternative 1, remains the most feasible. It calls for lane widening and street-level intersection improvements throughout the corridor and carries a cost estimate of $426 million.

With help from Davis, Beaufort County has secured $120 million from the state infrastructure bank in addition to $80 million raised through a 1 percent sales tax voters passed in 2018 to “repair and/or replace the existing spans of the bridges to Hilton Head Island.” DOT has also pledged more than $74 million.