Dear 278 Corridor Petition signers. The item below just came in from Gray Smith - a member of our 278 Corridor Watchdog operation. I have heard from an independent source that there is supporting evidence for the abdication story. If correct, this will be a CATASTROPHE for residents. In effect, it would give away the Town's veto power for the parts of the 278 project on HHI,  just prior to a new Town Council taking over! I'll have more on this soon. Meanwhile, Gray's document, below, is important.   

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We now have over 8,350 signers of our Petition that requests our Hilton Head Town Council to reject the totally excessive SCDOT 278 Corridor Project Proposal, and instead hire an Independent Traffic Engineering Consultant Firm to examine the ENTIRE corridor, and arrive at their best solution to our Peak Traffic Congestion Flow problem.

Thus far, the wishes of this large group of Residents and Concerned Citizens have been COMPLETELY IGNORED.  I have learned that the majority of the Hilton Head Island Town Council, have openly expressed their desire to simply abdicate their responsibility to Hilton Head Voters and Taxpayers, and simply sign over ALL management responsibility, the leadership role, and all decision-making jurisdiction to the Beaufort County Council, and the un-elected Beaufort County Administrator.

When confronted with the inconvenient truth that there are over 8,350 constituents who have signed a petition calling for the Hilton Head Town Council to hire an Independent Traffic Engineering firm to study the Hilton Head/Bluffton peak traffic flow issues in their entirety, and to make INDEPENDENT recommendations, the great majority of Hilton Head Town Council, as well as the Town Manager, are choosing to ignore their constituents completely.

Is THIS what we, the Residents of this ecologically sensitive and beautiful Low County ISLAND, want to see be the fate of the currently bucolic, beautiful, and SCALE APPROPRIATE entrance to our unique Island??

It is evident from the above information, that Hilton Head Island Town Council NEVER had any intention of conducting an Independent Traffic Engineering Consultant study of the 278 Corridor Peak Traffic Flow problems and suggested solutions.  We have been asking for this for THREE YEARS!! Their intention all along was, and still is, to totally accept any and all recommendations proposed by the SCDOT, a bureaucratic organization that has been characterized by one industry expert, as ranking in the bottom 10% of ALL state DOT’s, when it comes to the design of efficient and nature-friendly traffic and road systems.  

After publicly appearing to buy into Senator Tom Davis’s request to take responsibility for the execution of such a study, and after he assured them that they had the go-ahead from the head of the SCDOT to do so, it is now evident that they completely ignored his request as well.

Why are these 6 individuals so intent on having SCDOT execute an SCDOT project that:

1.  Only improves peak traffic flow problems from an “F” to a “D”.

2.  Does not even take in the entire scope of the problem area, much less further down on the Island.

3.  Overbuilds both bridges, as well as the first 2 ½ miles onto the Island, right through a very ecologically sensitive and scenic entrance onto Hilton Head.

4.  Is vehemently opposed by at least the 8,350 (and growing) concerned citizens who signed the petition calling for the Independent Traffic Engineering Study to be performed prior to any final decision as to how to proceed with such a huge and impactful project.

I also learned that these Town Council members DO NOT BELIEVE that there are that many residents and citizens who object to this project proceeding in its current overdone format! 

NOW IS THE TIME for all Petition signers,  who are highly concerned over the preservation of what is left of the unique and natural beauty of our Island, to send an absolutely CLEAR message that it is unacceptable that 6 people decide to proceed with a project that hardly anybody with any connection to Hilton Head Island wants, or thinks is the best way to proceed.

Time to pull out all the stops! Please, as soon as possible, send a letter, an INDIVIDUAL email, or place a phone call to every member of Town Council (as listed below), and to Marc Orlando, the Town Manager.

Tell them that we INSIST that Town Council hire an INDEPENDENT Traffic Engineering Consulting Firm to perform a truly independent analysis of our situation, and provide their best recommendation as to how to solve our peak traffic flow problems.  

Here is the link to the page where you will find all of the contact information for Town Council and Town Manager:

https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/towncouncil/

It is important that you take the time to send your email, even if it is the same content, INDIVIDUALLY to each Council Member.  I have it on good authority that group emails to them are seldom opened.

If they sign all responsibility for this 278 Corridor Project over to Beaufort County Council, We the HHI Residents will have LOST ALL OF OUR VOICE IN THE FUTURE OF THIS DISASTROUS PROJECT, AND THE FUTURE OF THE Island we treasure and care about.  

So we really need to demand TWO items from the Hilton Head Town Council, as you address them:

1. Hilton Head Town Council must hire an INDEPENDENT Traffic Engineering Firm, to conduct a thorough study of traffic dynamics from Buckwalter Parkway to Coligny Circle, and provide us with their BEST solution to our peak traffic flow problems.

2. Management of this Project MUST remain with the Hilton Head Town Government.  If ceded to Beaufort County, we will have placed our future in the hands of a government entity that only sees Hilton Head Island as a revenue source, and could care less about the HHI environment, and the future capacity of the Island.

Here is my email if you care to ask any questions, or have me help you craft an impactful email to Town Council.  And thank you for doing your part to preserve the natural beauty and sensitive ecology of the entrance to our beloved Island!!  If WE the PEOPLE don’t step up and do it now, we and future generations will have to endure an excessively urbanized initial approach to Hilton Head, a prospect I am sure none of us want to become the reality.

Finally, if you have any friends who you think are also interested in having this project take the proper path forward, please copy and paste this email, and ask them to sign the petition as well!!

Gray Smith
g.smith@arborresearch.com