Free Hilton Head trolley to add new stops, modify routes just in time for tourism season
Summer is just around the corner, which means an influx of beachgoers will soon be on Hilton Head Island’s south end, especially near Coligny Circle.
For those without a car, the island’s Breeze Trolley system is a free way to navigate the bustling area, and this year there will be additional stops and slight tweaks to the trolleys’ routes, said Brian Sullivan, director of marketing and communications for the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority.
The changes go into effect April 9, just before the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing — one of the island’s major tourism generators — kicks off in Sea Pines.
The Breeze Trolley service will be available until Labor Day and is fare-free. Here’s what’s new in 2022, which Sullivan expects to be “extremely busy.”
South end
Last year, the trolley would travel east down Pope Avenue, make a right turn onto Cordillo Parkway, then turn down Deallyon Avenue (where there were two stops), turn left onto South Forest Beach Drive and then later stop at Coligny Circle before turning around and following the same route back west.
Now, the route is going to be a bit different: The trolley will drive east down Pope Avenue, make a right turn onto Cordillo Parkway, turn down Deallyon Avenue (where there will be one stop), then turn left onto Nassau Street (where there will be a new stop near The Sandbox Children’s Museum and Lowcountry Celebration Park), before eventually turning back onto Pope Avenue and heading toward the stop at Coligny Circle.
The route back west will mostly stick to Pope Avenue and will include two new stops: one near the Courtyard by Marriott Hilton Head Island and one close to Waterside by Spinnaker Resorts.
The goal of the route changes is to better serve Lowcountry Celebration Park, The Sandbox and Coligny area destinations, hotels and businesses, according to the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority.
Mid-island
In 2021, a shuttle bus would travel down Folly Field Road toward the Westin Hotel, then turn around and head back toward U.S. 278 on the same road.
Now, though, the shuttle bus will travel down Folly Field Road toward the Westin Hotel, then turn onto Grasslawn Avenue, then onto Coggins Point Road, and eventually back onto U.S. 278.
The route will include new stops near the Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club and the Island Links Resort by Palmera.
The goal of these changes, Sullivan said, is to cut down on the frequency of shuttle trips on Folly Field Road (residents in the area previously raised concerns about the noise of the transit system’s trolleys) and to expand the number of pick up locations in the Port Royal community.
The shuttle bus, Sullivan said, is slightly smaller than a typical trolley, and has a quieter engine.
“I think the changes in the routing that you’ve suggested sound very good,” Ward 6 representative Glenn Stanford recently told transportation officials during a Town Council committee meeting.
The trolley route times and schedule can be found online: bit.ly/RouteSchedule
