Voters OK’d $30 million in 2018 for 9 Lady’s Island road projects. Work on 2nd underway
A $5 million road improvement project on Lady’s Island now underway will make it safer to access and drive on Sea Island Parkway near an especially busy stretch by Walmart, the county’s chief engineer says.
The first phase of the Airport Frontage Road project involves building a new road beginning at a major intersection —Sea Island Parkway and Airport Circle. It’s the second of nine Lady’s Island transportation projects totaling $30 million, which were approved by voters in a 2018 sales tax referendum, to get started..
The new section, about 1,000 feet, will proceed south from the signaled T- intersection near Walmart, then west to Lost Island Road near Taco Bell. While it’s not a large stretch, the new connection between Lost Island Road and the Sea Island Parkway/Airport Circle intersection will provide residents who live in neighborhoods south of the Parkway access to an intersection with signal lights.
That will make it easier and safer to turn left onto the the Parkway, also known as Highway 21, particularly as additional development that’s planned in the area occurs, said Eric Claussen, Beaufort County’s director of engineering.
“The primary goal of the project in general is to eliminate the left turns at unsignalized access points to (Highway) 21,” Claussen said. “Really it’s an access management and safety project.”
The work also will make it safer for motorists traveling on Sea Island Parkway, Claussen said.
The second phase of the project will connect Lost Island Road to Little Creek Road.
The contract for the Airport Frontage Road project was awarded to general contractor Savannah-based APAC Atlantic Inc. in December. APAC is doing clearing work in preparation for construction. The work is expected to be completed in January 2024 but will depend on weather and the availability of materials. Claussen says materials still can be difficult to get because of supply chain delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The penny sales tax, approved in 2018, raised $120 million for transportation projects across the county, including $80 million to help overhaul the bridges leading to Hilton Head Island, $30 million for the Lady’s Island corridor and $10 million to improve county sidewalks and paths.
The $30 million for Lady’s Island work is earmarked for safety and capacity projects addressing the increase in traffic volume along Sea Island Parkway, Claussen says.
The first project to be completed was a $761,000 new right-turn lane on Sams Point Road at Sea Island Parkway.
The Airport Frontage Road work is the second project to get off the ground.
Considering the funding was OK’d in 2018, the county has received questions about the pace of the work, Claussen said, such as, “All you have to show for it is that one right-turn lane.”
But Claussen points out that getting projects done and collecting the money are two separate issues.
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The penny tax was to be collected until 2022 — or until $120 million was collected, whichever came first. The county had the money in hand by late 2021.
But it takes additional time to launch projects because of the planning, permitting and necessary rights-of-way issues involved, Claussen said.
“We’re working to get these projects out the door just as quickly as possible,” Claussen says.
Residents will see more projects occurring over the next nine months to a year, he added.
Planning is about 50% done for the next two projects on the schedule: The $3 million Hazel Farm Road project, which includes improvements to Hazel Farm Road and Gay Drive, and the $1.4 million realignment of the main access to Lady’s Island Middle School.
Other projects include:
▪ $10.7 million in improvements to U.S. 21 and S.C. 802
▪ A $1.7 million realignment of the access road leading to Beaufort High School
▪ A $450,000 extension of Mayfair Court to William Street and $776,000 extension of Meadowbrook Drive to Dow Road
▪ $4.4 million in improvements to Sunset Boulevard and Miller Drive West.
Widening Sea Island Parkway from two to four lanes, from Woods Memorial Bridge in Beaufort to its intersection with Sams Point Road/Lady’s Island Drive, was proposed earlier this year to improve access to Beaufort High School. But that plan was shelved after it drew opposition from residents and business owners.
Work on the access to the high school is on hold until the county gathers more information, Claussen said.
This story was originally published April 1, 2023 at 10:27 AM.
