Bike-safety advocates disappointed by changes in Hilton Head road plan

Hilton Head Island bicycling-safety advocates were disappointed to learn plans to widen and re-pave Marshland Road might be delayed because of a lack of money.

Federal stimulus money allocated by the state to repave the road, which runs from Mathews Drive to the Cross Island Parkway and Spanish Wells Road, would go instead toward repaving part of William Hilton Parkway, under a proposal by the S.C. Department of Transportation.

The parkway project was supposed to be funded by a 1-percent sales tax for road improvements approved in 2006 by county voters, but revenue from the sales tax has fallen short of expectations. DOT wants to use $2.21 million earmarked for Marshland Road and other island projects -- repaving parts of Folly Field Road, Deallyon Avenue and Pope Avenue -- for the parkway resurfacing.

Other planned improvements to Marshland Road, where potholes are frequently patched, would have included widened shoulders to provide a bike lane and improve motorist safety.

The road is a popular route for bicyclists but in recent years has become more dangerous for them, says Frank Babel, the founder of the Squeaky Wheels Cycling Advocacy Group.

"There have been a number of accidents because the road is crumbling on the edges," Babel said.

It also is too narrow, making it difficult for cyclists and motorists to share the road, he said.

"We're disappointed to see that much-needed project get unfunded," said Scott Liggett, the town's director of public projects. But he also said the project would eventually be undertaken by the DOT.

"The DOT does intend to implement the Marshland project in the relatively near term," Liggett said, adding he doesn't know when the work will start. The repaving was scheduled to begin last month and take about a year.

Attempts to reach the DOT project manager for the William Hilton Parkway resurfacing, John Boylston, for comment were unsuccessful.

Island cyclists frustrated with the state of the road say they might seek alternatives while they await its widening.

James Bradford leads a twice-weekly cycling group of 20 to 40 people down Marshland Road.

"If it gets much worse, I think we're going to have to divert from that route," Bradford said. "We've been using it for a long time over the past 10 years of having our rides on the island, and they keep patching up the potholes, but I think it's time for it to be redone."

Bradford, who owns The Bike Doctor shop on the island, described the peril cyclists face on the road:

"Our tires are less than an inch wide, and we have very low traction compared to what a vehicle has. When we hit a bump or the potholes, you can imagine, it magnifies the impact 100 times."