Hilton Head traffic gridlocked for several hours on south end. Here's what happened

A broken water line on Greenwood Drive tied up traffic on the south end of Hilton Head Island for several hours Thursday afternoon.

Traffic came to a standstill in the area around the Sea Pines Circle, according to driver reports on the Waze traffic app.

Drivers on William Hilton Parkway, Palmetto Bay Road, Pope Avenue and Greenwood Drive were reporting slowdowns starting around noon.

In addition, side streets such as Arrow Road and parking lots in the were reported to be backed up throughout the afternoon.

Shea Sommerville, spokesman for South Island PSD, confirmed the broken water line and said it had been repaired just before 1 p.m.

He said the repairs to the road surface were completed about 2:30 p.m.

One lane of Greenwood Drive was closed for several hours because of the ongoing repairs, Sommerville said.

Traffic remained heavy in the area after the road was repaired.

The water line break is unrelated to road construction on the other side of the Sea Pines Circle, he said.

Work has been ongoing to realign New Orleans Road and Office Park Road since February. The improvements are a requirement of the town's agreement with the University of South Carolina Beaufort, which is opening a hospitality campus on the island this fall.

This story was originally published July 5, 2018 at 1:20 PM.