Site of Saturday’s fatal Hilton Head crash undergoing $1M project to make it safer
The scene of a tragic crash that killed a Hilton Head man Saturday near Shelter Cove is also the site of an upcoming million-dollar construction project that will add turning lanes and traffic signals there and at two other intersections with U.S. 278 because of safety concerns.
Jose Ruben Silvestre López-Pérez, 53, died just after 10:45 p.m. at Shelter Cove Lane and U.S. 278 near the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, according to Beaufort County Chief Deputy Coroner David Ott.
López-Pérez was turning onto U.S. 278 when his Volkswagen GTI was struck by a Nissan traveling east, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol, which is investigating the crash.
Known by many as Ruben, López-Pérez was killed instantly. He was the father of three children who live in Tlaxcala, Mexico, and grandfather to two, his nephew Jesús Morales López told The Island Packet on Monday.
López-Pérez called his family nearly every day, and had dreams of opening a restaurant closer to them, Morales López said. On Hilton Head, he worked as a dishwasher at nearby Tio’s Latin American Kitchen, and is remembered by co-workers for always having a smile on his face.
The corridor where López-Pérez died is known as one of the most dangerous sections of U.S. 278, according to an analysis of crashes by The Island Packet.
A project to add turning lanes and signals is being done “due to growing development in the corridor, increased congestion, and a desire to improve safety,” town engineer Jeff Buckalew told the newspaper in 2019.
Over 100 crashes have been documented in the Shelter Cove corridor since 2015, according to crash data from the Town of Hilton Head Island. Three, not including López-Pérez’s crash, were fatal.
- Norman McNeill, 77, was struck June 7, 2019 by an oncoming pickup truck that failed to yield near Hickory Tavern. He died of his injuries two weeks later.
Deweese Weaver, 78, was struck and killed by a motorist as she was walking her bike across the street on Feb. 16, 2017. Her family has sued the driver of the car that hit her, claiming negligence.
Jerome Stewart, 43, died after he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree on March 15, 2014.
A $1.25 million plan to redo several intersections in the corridor was approved in 2019. The corridor runs from the intersection of Queens Folly Road and King Neptune Way with U.S. 278 near Palmetto Dunes north to Shelter Cove Lane and U.S. 278 near the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Construction began earlier this month on the project, according to Buckalew. Although the project was delayed — it was supposed to start in September — town engineers still hope to get it done by the end of May, he said.
Drivers may have noticed construction materials in the area, including fencing and construction cones at the intersection near the sheriff’s office. Buckalew said those materials were part of the corridor project, and crews are working to widen parts of Shelter Cove Lane.
Here’s how the intersections will change:
New traffic signal at Sheriff’s Office
A traffic signal will be added at the intersection where López-Pérez died. The signal at the entrance to the Sheriff’s Office from U.S. 278 will allow turning cars to use official turn lanes.
The plan will eliminate the acceleration lane on U.S. 278 that forces drivers leaving the Sheriff’s Office to speed up to match traffic on the 45-mph highway.
The improvements also include widening Shelter Cove Lane in front of the Sheriff’s Office to add a right turn lane.
Shelter Cove Towne Centre intersection
The plan to improve the Shelter Cove entrance near Hickory Tavern and Kroger includes revamping the turning lanes and stopping traffic in both directions with a traffic signal.
The new plan includes:
- Adding double-left turn lanes for cars leaving Shelter Cove Towne Centre near Hickory Tavern.
- Stopping northbound traffic on U.S. 278 at a traffic signal to allow drivers at the shopping center to turn left onto the highway.
- Deleting the acceleration lane, which town traffic engineer Darrin Shoemaker called “too short” for existing traffic to speed up to match drivers on U.S. 278.
- Adding a signalized pedestrian crosswalk to get people from the town pathway on northbound U.S. 278 to the Shelter Cove entrance.
The alternative comes with a down side — widening the side roads and U.S. 278 may affect the tree canopy that is a major characteristic of Shelter Cove, Shoemaker said.
He said the plan will minimize damage to the tree canopy wherever possible.
New pathway near Shelter Cove
The town has also added a new pathway from Hickory Tavern to the Sheriff’s Office along the southbound lanes of U.S. 278.
Prior to the project, that segment of the Shelter Cove area was the only part of the corridor missing a multi-use pathway.
Palmetto Dunes entrance
The entrance to Palmetto Dunes from U.S. 278 also needs an overhaul. The intersection between Queens Folly Road, King Neptune Way and U.S. 278 is on the south end of the Shelter Cove corridor.
The plan for this intersection includes:
- Adding two left turn lanes leaving Palmetto Dunes and two left turn lanes leaving the Shelter Cove marina.
- Adding left turn arrow signals so drivers turning onto U.S. 278 do not have to yield to oncoming traffic.
- Realigning turns from Palmetto Dunes so they match up with through lanes from King Neptune Way.
Andrew Schumacher, the chief operating officer of Palmetto Dunes, told the town that the gated community “would support left turn signals” that give left turners the right of way.
However, he said in 2019 the community would “not necessarily support” widening the road from Palmetto Dunes to make two left turn lanes.
The lane expansion would cut into the landscaped median that features the Palmetto Dunes sign.
This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 3:15 PM.
