Sea Pines completes ‘long overdue’ infrastructure repairs on Hilton Head
If you’ve staying in a villa near Harbour Town in Sea Pines recently, you may have noticed workers in bright yellow vests and hard hats digging beneath the road with excavators.
The work is part of a “long-overdue” project to replace miles of old and deteriorated stormwater drainage pipes surrounding the iconic tourist destination.
These underground pipes may seem unassuming, but are critical to protecting roads and houses from flooding when it rains by diverting water from the roads into ditches, lagoons and/or stormwater ponds.
The Lighthouse Lane improvements were highlighted at the March 3 meeting of the Sea Pines Community Services Associates Board of Directors.
“This is infrastructure that was, in great part, ignored for so many years [and] is finally being addressed,” said Bill Johnson, chair of the Sea Pines CSA Board of Directors.
Phase three of the project was completed in February, and phase four will begin this fall. Motorists along Lighthouse Lane should expect traffic delays and detours once work begins again.
The Packet reached out to Stephanie Fera, communications manager for the Sea Pines CSA, on Thursday to request interviews with officials regarding the Lighthouse Lane project.
Fera did not agree to connect the Packet to Sea Pines CSA officials, instead providing a link to a webpage where updates will be posted. A follow-up email asking for an interview was not acknowledged as of publication time.
‘Long overdue’ improvements completed
Phase 3 of the Lighthouse Lane Improvement Project began in September 2025, and was completed during February 2026, according to the Sea Pines CSA website.
Many storm water drainage pipes were in “extremely poor condition,” according to comments from Russell Fredericks during the March 3 meeting of the Sea Pines CSA Board of Directors.
“Most of the pipe that we removed either had no top or no bottom or was not there at all,” Fredericks said. “These improvements were long overdue and [we’re] glad to get them done.”
Work to continue in the fall
The fourth and final phase of the work will focus on Genoa Court, Mizzenmast Lane, Mizzenmast Court and Windjammer Court.
The work is scheduled to begin in September 2026 and continue through the spring of 2027.
After excavating and replacing stormwater drainage pipes and basins in the area, work will begin on repaving the roadways on Genoa and Mizzenmast Courts.
Single-lane closures will be in place daily, while temporary full-lane closures may be required at times, according to the update. Motorists should expect delays, traffic detours and be prepared to share the road with cyclists and pedestrians while work is completed.
Other improvements ongoing in neighborhood near entrance
Much-needed infrastructure improvements are also currently underway on Otter Road, near the entrance to Sea Pines.
Improvements to stormwater draining infrastructure, including cleaning ditches and excavating and replacing old pipes, are nearing completion.
These pipes were originally installed in the later 1970s or early 1980s, Fredericks said at the meeting, and were “extremely deteriorated.” Almost a mile of old pipe has been removed and reinstalled.
After stormwater improvements are completed, all roads in the Otter Road neighborhood will be resurfaced, Fredericks said.
Residents in the area should expect noise and possible utility outages as work is completed, according to the presentation.
Bridge replacements on schedule for 2026
Several bridges within Sea Pines are in need of repair or replacement, according to Fredericks.
The Spartina Crescent Bridge, located in the Calibogue Club area, is in need of complete replacement, as well as a wooden pedestrian bridge in the Beach Lagoon area.
A new retaining wall will be installed underneath the Deer Island bridge on the side facing Harbour Town. Repairs are also needed to the Isle of Pines Drive bridge.
