Most of you are probably aware by now that the Hilton Head Town Council ignored the views of large numbers of residents by providing Municipal Consent for a massive half a billion dollar project to expand the Hilton Head bridges and the 278 corridor through the north end of the Island and Stoney.
Their plan includes the mistaken idea that adding more lanes will reduce congestion. Under pressure from SCDOT and Beaufort County Council, the Town withdrew their list of stipulations, despite public comments that the environmental assessment underlying the project is inadequate and misrepresentative, and the project will not solve our congestion problems.
The failure of our mayor and town council members to perform honest systems analysis of our serious congestion and growth issues borders on the criminal.
The project sponsor of this effort is Beaufort County. Noted columnist David Lauderdale said recently that “We need transportation help. But we need a county government we can trust.”
Additionally, Matthew T. Hall, a distinguished South Carolina journalist for 30 years, has said that “… the problem is Beaufort County government itself is terrible. It is impossible to overstate how little trust Beaufort County government deserves right now.”
The Town Council action granting municipal consent for this project is NOT the end. We may have lost this battle but we have NOT lost the war. Our fight to preserve and protect our island we call paradise is NOT over.
You may hear politicians say that our actions will cause delay. But, rushing into their inadequate plan will not solve our congestion, safety, and growth problems, and is a waste of time and money. A $188 million funding gap has already been identified and will likely grow. Wasting funds on a scientifically unproven ‘political’ plan is insanity.
Our Technical Working Group (TWG) has been studying and commenting on this Project since 2018. Our petition opposing this project now has more than 11,000 signatures, but unfortunately Town Council has evaded our questions and moved with insufficient data to justify the plan they want. We feel that citizens have been at a severe disadvantage in this process.
The actions of Town Council in giving Municipal Consent to this excessive and deeply flawed project, have clearly demonstrated that they completely ignored the years of opposition expressed by large numbers of residents of Hilton Head Island.
Thus, to more rapidly obtain a proven working plan, the TWG will evolve into a structure that will permit us to raise funds to obtain legal assistance to gain traction in the Federal approval process.
The overriding issues on Hilton Head are not just the bridges and 278 corridor, but must include the issues of island capacity and how to deal with future growth while preserving and protecting our natural environment.
We will keep you fully informed.
If you wish to join our cause, please visit our petition site at