Understanding and Repairing the Route 278 Corridor Problem

Will Hilton Head Town Council Get Out From Under The County's Thumb?

There have been many words written about this project, but overall issues are poorly understood. I will try to clear them up in this article.

According to SCDOT’s Fall 2019 Newsletter, the goals of the project were to:

1.     Address structural deficiencies at the existing eastbound Mackay Creek bridge

2.     Increase capacity and reduce congestion within the project limits 

3.     Review all proposed alternatives 

4.     Evaluate potential impacts to the natural and human environment

5.     Focus on community involvement and communication

The project limits were defined as up to point C on the map above.

Many believe that the current project will NOT meet these goals, despite its high and growing cost. Key points of difference (no priority intended) include:

·       Failure to cover all the congestion points including efficient links to/from the Cross Island Parkway (CIP) and Local 278 will result in a high-capacity funnel into a traffic pileup.

·       Most of the available funds will be spent on the bridges, with insufficient attention to major issues downstream, as shown on the map.

·       There are missing and hidden parts that have not been included in the calculations and design. 

·       There may be a view that the missing and hidden parts can be tacked on later. That may be correct for phased construction, however the design and optimization part of the project must include the full scope (see figure above) at the outset. 

·       Other alternatives have not been sufficiently and transparently explored. 

·       There appears to be too little attention placed on safety, including public safety. E.g., How are crosswalks handled?

·       No one has a copy of the final plan, including what parts were accepted, modified or rejected. 

·       A Backdoor FONSI application appears to be underway using data that Citizens have not been permitted to view or comment on. This is outrageous!

·       Considering the above, and despite many meetings, the goal of community involvement and communication has been only “window dressing”.

These issues could have been rapidly and efficiently addressed starting in 2020 when large numbers of Citizens brought them up. It was recommended by Citizens that an Independent Study of the project and SCDOT plans be conducted by outside engineers to determine if the identified issues had merit, and what could be done about them.

But Beaufort County Council (led by a rogue Council Member who controlled the project) diverted and stonewalled all efforts to do so. Over a 4-day period, including a weekend, he ramrodded through a neutered SHAM analysis done by a County related firm, so that the Citizen concerns were deliberately excluded. (Review #1.) 

His efforts continued until 2022, when his constituents fired him. (After losing the election, he is quoted by the 6/13/22 Island Packet as saying that his guiding principles include: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” ) Thus, the damage he did continued for the rest of his term to the end of 2022 – a very critical period. 

As a result, there is a profound lack of understanding of the project by Beaufort County Council (BCC), likely furthered by over-reliance on, and contamination by, this Councilperson. For example: 

·       BCC members stick their head in the sand regarding the known issues and ways to rapidly address them. They appear to emphasize “getting on with it” rather than a determination to see IF what they are “getting on with” will actually work, where and why it will not, and how to fix it. 

·       Some BCC members emphasize the need for the project to shorten the commute time for their worker constituents to/from HHI. That is a valid and fair goal, but they fail to understand that the current plan’s problems (and 4-5 year construction interval) may actually lengthen that commute time due to the 5 poorly studied congestion points. 

·       An Independent Study could provide early warning of problems (as described above) so that they could be addressed before they become major bottlenecks in the Federal review process, but BCC prefers to just barge ahead, ignoring warnings. This will delay the project. 

Citizens (by now exceeding 10,000 on a petition) continued to emphasize the need for an Independent Study. The project needs the Town’s Municipal Consent and free land donations, as well as having massive impact on the North-end, so Citizens requested the Town to do proper Due Diligence by sponsoring their own Independent Study. Furthermore, a project of this size, cost and impact, designed by what appears to be a single lead company, urgently needs an independent second opinion. BCC has done everything in its power to prevent that. 

In early Spring 2022, Citizens working with Senator Davis created a Statement of Work (SOW) for the needed Due Diligence - Independent Study. It appeared that (at workshops between the Town and County in Spring 2022) the County concurred in principle. But on 4/4/22 the County sent a (poorly received) Ultimatum to the Town negating that.

After the poor reception of that Ultimatum, the County in September 2022 formulated a plan and SOW for another watered down so called Independent Review (#2). That review used the same diversionary tactics as they had in the first Review in 2020, and had many of the same problems - It avoided asking the right questions and prohibited meaningful Citizen input and oversight. Thus, Citizens called it yet another SHAM and waste of $200,000. 

In addition to the observations above, particularly on the lack of project knowledge by BCC, readers should watch the video of Agenda Item 25 of BCC’s 9/26/22 meeting. They will note three major things:

-        That even Senator Davis is perplexed by the County’s move away from a proper study as they seemingly agreed to in the Town – County workshops of Spring 2022.

-        The lack of respect that some County Council members (Passiment, McElynn) and Staff (Greenway) have for the input and concerns of the Citizens of HHI. 

-        Overall, BCC discussion of this topic including the exclusion of Citizen comments, resembles a stacked tribunal as one might find in Russia or North Korea. 

If BCC had any interest in saving time and money, developing a working plan, and preserving meaningful involvement by Citizens, they would stop their Review #2. It is yet another time and money wasting SHAM designed to retain County control while diverting effort from a proper and much needed Independent Study. 

Nonetheless, on 10/4/22 the County succeeded in convincing the outgoing Town Council to sign an MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) to support their review (#2), with the Town also doing its own Independent Study, which would include Citizens – prohibited by the County. That County MOA was shamefully thrust onto a departing lame-duck Town Council, only 35 days before the election. In a close 4:3 Town Council (TC) vote for the MOA Resolution, only 1 of the 4 voting for it remains on TC!  Unfortunately, FHWA, SCDOT and BCC appear to be using that (barely passed) MOA as a pass to engage in a Backdoor FONSI without Citizen input, comment or access to documents! It also appears to be contaminating Town Staff.

That brings us to the present. The Town has the ability (with its own Independent Study) to transparently do the right thing, involve Citizens via a fairly constituted and involved Advisory Committee, and charter a SOW that will answer the needed questions over the proper scope. Timing is important, and members of the Technical Working Group (TWG), who have been studying this project for years, have written volunteering their time to work with the Town to get the needed SOW and Analysis underway rapidly. 

Some refer to this Town Independent Study as the third independent review, but that is incorrect! 

·       The County’s review (#1) was not Independent – It used a County contractor (HDR), with help from a Town contractor (MKSK). Its SOW was tightly constrained, created and pushed through BCC in 4 days by Mr. Rodman, without public review. It was designed to be a diversionary tactic applied over an overly narrow framework. Other background documents related to it belittle Citizen input.

·       The County’s review (#2) follows the pattern of #1, uses a County controlled SOW, does not ask the proper questions, or look at other options, and prohibits Citizen input and oversight. It has not started yet so should be stopped, saving taxpayers $200,000, time, and the diversion of expertise.

·       The Town’s Independent Study (incorrectly called #3), assuming that BCC does not destroy or divert it once again, will be the first truly Independent Study of this project - started almost 3 years after the need for it was first identified.

The Town can become the hero to rescue this project, and does not have to be constrained by the 10/4/22 MOA. Or, the Town can let itself be placed under BCC’s thumb once again. 

The route 278 Corridor project started with admirable goals but became contaminated by avoidance of the scientific method and proper metrics, compounded by unethical back door actions by some on County Council. As a result, this project could cause unnecessary environmental impact with no gain, risk public safety, waste time, opportunity and public funds, and cause embarrassment for all who touch it without seeking a cure. 

Hopefully, Town Council will take the lead in repairing these problems. Over 10,000 petition signers are watching.

Want to make a difference? Please sign the free petition at  https://chng.it/gxXykZBv  Tell your friends.  The more names, we get, the more traction we will have with Federal Authorities.