Flooding frustrates Shell Point residents. Here’s Beaufort County’s $7.5 million plan
Beaufort County plans to spend $7.5 million to address water drainage problems in the Port Royal-area neighborhood of Shell Point, which has been dogged by water problems for decades.
The project affects about 2,850 residents living on 835 acres of land bounded by Parris Island Gateway, the Savannah Highway and marshland.
The improvements will include major drainage repairs, driveway pipe and culvert replacements, in addition to cleaning of roadside ditches and driveway pipes within the right-of-way of the South Carolina Department of Transportation, said Julianna Corbin, a Beaufort County environmental engineer.
Roads routinely flood in the area. That’s the main problem, Corbin said, but homes sometimes flood, too.
Beginning in the 1950s, home construction began but planning standards were not what they are today so drainage infrastructure, such as pipes and culverts, came along in “piecemeal” fashion. It’s also old, Corbin said, and ditches are clogged with silt.
“They are very frustrated by the problem and they are ready to see a solution,” Corbin told The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet, “and I don’t blame them.”
Lowcountry drainage problems are not unique to Shell Point but the neighborhood is bounded by marsh on two and sometimes three sides, making it susceptible to rising tides, exacerbating flooding, Corbin said.
The proposed upgrades can’t fix the problem entirely, Corbin said, but will improve the situation.
Beaufort County has applied for grants to pay for the work. Corbin is confident the grants will come through. Beaufort County Stormwater Utility funds also are expected to pay for a portion of the project.
Infrastructure improvements will begin next summer, according to Beaufort County. The SCDOT already has started tackling the maintenance work such as cleaning out ditches.
Here’s where major drainage improvement projects are planned:
▪ Hamrick Drive (Broad River to Shell Point Rec Park)
▪ Area bounded by Shell Point Road (north)/Hickory Street (east)/Cypress Street and Walnut Street (south)/Broad River Drive (west)
▪ Dogwood Street Area (including Baynard Road, Morning Mist Drive and Magnolia Street)
Here’s where SCDOT right-of-way maintenance is planned:
▪ Broad River Drive from Parris Island Gateway to Dogwood Street
▪ Shell Point Road from Savannah Highway to Baynard Road
▪ Baynard Road
▪ Green Pond Drive
▪ Palmetto Ridge Road
▪ Hickory Street from Dogwood Street to Cypress Street
▪ Walnut Street
▪ Ashwood Circle
▪ Hickory Street from Cypress Street to Broad River Road
▪ Cypress Street
Culvert replacements are planned here:
▪ Magnolia Street
▪ Dogwood Street
▪ Baynard Road
▪ Shell Point Road
▪ Walnut Street
▪ Broad River Road between Hickory Street & Ashwood Circle
▪ Ashwood Circle at Broad River Road
▪ Ashwood Circle near Whelk Road
▪ Broad River Road at Hamrick Drive
▪ Hamrick Drive: three culverts
▪ Broad River Road near 410 Broad River Road
▪ Shell Point Recreation Pike
To learn more and the project, visit https://shellpointdrainage.beaufortcountysc.gov.
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 4:00 PM.
