Hilton Head intersection to get overhead street lights 2 years after tragic crash
Some of the first overhead street lights on Hilton Head Island’s U.S. 278 business loop will be installed Tuesday at a crosswalk where an 11-year-old islander died in 2018.
Overhead street lights will illuminate the intersection of Yacht Cove Drive and U.S. 278, where residents often cross to get to a gas station convenience store. The lights will be operational by mid-October, and will cost $105,000.
Although Hilton Head is known for its dark streets and nature-blending architecture that aims to preserve the island’s natural look, a wave of activism for safer streets started after Charli Bobinchuck died while she was crossing U.S. 278 with her dog, Max, in June 2018. Her parents advocated to the Town Council for sensible lighting that could help save pedestrian lives.
“Preserving the natural look of our island and protecting our sea turtles and wildlife is extremely important,” her father Bryan told Town Council in 2018. “Protecting our neighbors, friends, family and our economy is equally important.”
Since then, the town has painted large crosswalk warnings on the pavement leading up to all the intersections without traffic lights on the island. A new pathway system in the Shelter Cove area is designed to stop people from crossing the four-lane highway unnecessarily.
The lights at Yacht Cove were reviewed by the town design board and the Town Council. The lights are the pilot project for street lighting in other parts of the island, according to the town news release.
Town engineers have not yet announced other potential locations for lighting.
Charli’s legacy on Hilton Head
While she was only 11 years old when she died, Charli Bobinchuck’s life has had a lasting impact on an island she loved dearly.
Her friends remember her for her free spirit and love of animals and the environment. A blonde child with wild curls, Charli was often seen climbing trees and finding new animals to befriend in her Yacht Cove neighborhood.
Naiara Alvarez, 13, said blue was her friend’s favorite color. The two knew each other starting in kindergarten.
“She was very kind and bubbly person and a good person to be around,” Alvarez said. “She really helped everybody smile.”
Bobinchuck’s neighborhood has honored her memory with a bench that bears her favorite things and have erected a statue in the communal space.
Although not nearly as stylish, the island’s first street lights will also be a sort of memorial to Charli.
By illuminating the crosswalk and making pedestrians more obvious to drivers, Charli’s parents have said they hope no one else is struck or killed while crossing the road.
“I have been here 25 years, and I have personally lost four people close to me due to vehicle-pedestrian accidents in Hilton Head,” Bryan Bobinchuck said to Town Council in 2018.
