Trolley routes are in the works for Bluffton and Hilton Head. Where will they take you?
If you want to get from the Tanger Outlets to Buckwalter Place, or from a South Forest Beach rental to Coligny Beach without a car, you may have a way to do just that within the next year.
The plan is also likely to help some of the nearly 25,000 people who work in Bluffton and on Hilton Head Island.
In its newly released master plan, Palmetto Breeze has announced a series of new bus and trolley routes aimed at getting Beaufort County employees to and from work and tourists to and from the beach. The organization is asking for public comments and suggestions on the routes and on which parts of Hilton Head and Bluffton need them most.
The new routes are part of a multi-year planning process that will connect Hilton Head workplaces with the areas where a majority of employees live. The completion of new routes depends on getting local funding matches from Bluffton and Hilton Head governments.
Although Palmetto Breeze is known for inter-county transit that brings employees from afar to work in Hilton Head’s service industry, the new routes represent a move toward more local public transit options.
Palmetto Breeze executive director Mary Lou Franzoni said she wants to have expanded service in Bluffton within the next year.
Hilton Head trolley routes
The transportation authority’s plan for new routes includes two new service areas on Hilton Head, which currently runs a trolley from Shelter Cove to Coligny Beach.
In 2019, Town Council members approved a new trolley route from Folly Field Road to Shelter Cove, which will provide car-free options to those living or renting in the area.
Next, the trolley will add a third route between Coligny Beach and Crossings Park at the base of the Cross Island Parkway.
The final phase of expansion includes a route that runs between South Forest Beach and Coligny Beach, with the hopes of connecting renters and homeowners in the highly populated area to the businesses on Pope Avenue and the public beach access.
Bluffton trolley routes
Bluffton Parkway
The largest proposed Bluffton route runs on Bluffton Parkway between Buckwalter Place and the Tanger 2 Outlets.
It stops at several commercial and residential centers, including apartment complexes such as the Crowne at Old Carolina, Avalon Shores and The Bluestone.
It would connect people who live in the apartment communities with major employers such as Publix, Walmart and both Tanger Outlets.
Buckwalter to Palmetto Bluff
The second proposed Bluffton route would connect Buckwalter Place with U.S. 278 and Palmetto Bluff, one of the biggest employers in the area.
It would include stops along Buckwalter Parkway near Berkeley Place and Bluffton High School.
The route is an expansion of Palmetto Breeze’s current contract with Montage Palmetto Bluff, which runs a private transportation service to the resort.
What’s next?
Before any work on the routes begins, Palmetto Breeze needs public input on the stops residents and visitors need in Bluffton and on Hilton Head.
You can comments on the plans online until June 7.
Executive director Franzoni will then ask local governments for matching money to federal and state grants that already partially fund the service.
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 1:34 PM.
