Beaufort County washes hands of 5B Bluffton Parkway realignment. Is the ‘zombie’ dead?
Monday night’s meeting in the county council chamber was at capacity, filled with buttons and signs advocating against a road project that has been kicked around for nearly two decades. With the support of the majority in attendance, the Beaufort County Council put an end to any discussion, at least at the county level, of a controversial road connection in Bluffton known as 5B.
Specifically, the council decided that Beaufort County would not expend resources toward the 5B phase of Bluffton Parkway. “We’re going to remove the county from any use of county funds toward discussion or study of 5B,” Council Chair Joe Passiment announced before any discussion on the issue.
Bluffton Parkway Phase 5B is meant to connect two existing but unconnected portions of a parkway that runs across Bluffton. When Bluffton Parkway reaches Buckwalter Parkway, the road splits off, leaving motorists to briefly ride along Buckwalter before returning to Bluffton Parkway about one mile later. The proposed 5B would make it so that Bluffton Parkway is continuous. It’s often been touted as an alternative evacuation route by extending the parkway to I-95 in Hardeeville.
The plan as it was proposed would see 5B snaking between four neighborhoods including Pinecrest and Rose Hill, then between Shell Hall and Woodbridge. Many residents of those neighborhoods are strongly against the realignment often citing wildlife and increased traffic as their chief concerns.
“This is something that’s been brought up since 2006. Just because something was passed back then doesn’t mean it’s right today,” said Council Member Logan Cunningham, who represents the district the parkway extension would be in.
Originally 5B was to be included in a series of road studies across the county. By removing it from even being studied, the council made clear they wanted nothing to do with the realignment.
Passiment also announced that the parkway can no longer reach I-95 as originally intended because the needed land was purchased by somebody else. Some council members saw it as another killing blow to the connection plans since it could no longer function as an evacuation route.
But like many times in the nearly two decades since it was first announced, 5B isn’t quite dead yet. The 5B “zombie” will rise from at least one more time at a future Bluffton Town Council meeting. The town can still decide to fund a study that would decide if the realignment is necessary.
“I hope the town of Bluffton hears us as well. That we do not want this road. We do not even want it studied to open up that option. All it’s doing is raising concerns,” Cunningham said. “I guarantee you there will be a town of Bluffton meeting at some point. I hope you voice your concern there. I hope they’re in the same agreement with us, at the county. We can actually lay this to rest and finally be done with the 5B nonsense.”
Cunningham was met with applause as he finished speaking.
No one at the town of Bluffton was available to comment on the realignment by deadline on Tuesday morning.
This story was originally published March 26, 2024 at 10:19 AM.
