Lady’s Island drivers could soon see a smoother commute thanks to Beaufort Co. road tax
A project aimed at making one of northern Beaufort County’s busiest intersections easier to navigate could be complete by next summer.
A new right-turn lane on Sams Point Road at Sea Island Parkway will be the first use of the $30 million in road tax money voters approved in 2018 for traffic improvements on Lady’s Island. The lane work could begin by next spring and finish in the summer, depending how quickly permits are secured and a bid awarded.
The extra sales tax will last four years and raise an anticipated $120 million. Hilton Head Island bridge projects will receive $80 million, while another $10 million will be set aside for sidewalks throughout the county.
The county doesn’t yet have a cost estimate for the new lane, but it’s expected to be less than 10 percent of the money available for Lady’s Island from the penny tax referendum.
The lane project is one of nine identified in a 2017 study to try to alleviate expected congestion in the growing community. Some of the early work could affect the need for and design of other projects, county officials say.
“Once we get a project done, we’re going to go back and take a look at everything and how traffic distributes itself and make sure were getting the best bang for our buck,” said Rob McFee, the county’s director of construction, engineering and facilities.
Only one southbound lane travels straight through the intersection to four-lane Lady’s Island Drive in the current awkward configuration. Two southbound lanes will cross through the intersection after the new 500-foot turn lane is added, with a left-turn lane and the new right-turn lane.
The intersection is one of the busiest in the county, with cars traveling Sea Island Parkway from downtown Beaufort through the commercial corridor to the Sea Islands. Residents from the numerous neighborhoods on the north end of the island pack the intersection at peak hours in the morning and afternoon.
Based on S.C. Department of Public Safety data, the intersection had the third-highest number of collisions in the county from the start of 2015 through June of this year.
The other work will also be focused on traffic flow along Sea Island Parkway.
Some of the work recommended from past traffic studies might not be built as initially planned as needs change and residents offer more input, Beaufort County officials say. For instance, residents in the area of Sunset Boulevard and Miller Drive — a popular cut-through to avoid heavy congestion other places — balked at the proposal for a traffic circle at the interchange.
A traffic circle could be tabled because of the public outcry and no immediate public safety concerns, McFee said. A proposal for a new entrance to Lady’s Island Middle School could also be reconsidered as the school district reported enrollment has dipped at the school, he said.
Lady’s Island has been scrutinized in recent years as new businesses and housing developments spawned widespread concern about unchecked growth. Thousands of new homes and millions of square feet of commercial space are still possible under current zoning in the community, city of Beaufort and county planning officials found during a recent analysis.
