2 US 278 traffic incidents cause backups in Bluffton and on Hilton Head bridge during rush hour

Two traffic incidents Wednesday morning caused backups at two busy points on U.S. 278: Buckwalter Parkway and the Hilton Head Bridges.

A three-car collision appeared to be backing up traffic at Buckwalter around 7:35 a.m., according to drivers.

Google Maps showed a 28-minute delay from the S.C. 170 interchange to Eagle Point Drive heading eastbound.

There was one eastbound lane closed after St. Gregory Drive, according to a Facebook post by the Bluffton Township Fire District.

Once drivers get closer to Hilton Head, traffic didn’t improve.

A car was in the median on the first eastbound bridge over Mackay’s Creek, which slowed down traffic around 7:30 a.m.

The car was involved in a minor rear end collision prior to being moved into the median, according to a news release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Google Maps showed a 17-minute delay around 7:30 a.m., and eastbound traffic was backed up to Tanger 2 outlets, according to Beaufort County traffic cameras.

There were no lanes closed, according to Maj. Bob Bromage, the spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The car was cleared around 8 a.m., but the traffic was still backed up, Bromage said.

This story was originally published May 8, 2019 at 8:20 AM.

Katherine Kokal

The Island Packet

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Katherine Kokal graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and joined The Island Packet newsroom in 2018. Before moving to the Lowcountry, she worked as an interviewer and translator at a nonprofit in Barcelona and at two NPR member stations. At The Island Packet, Katherine covers Hilton Head Island’s government, environment, development, beaches and the all-important Loggerhead Sea Turtle. She has earned South Carolina Press Association Awards for in-depth reporting, government beat reporting, business beat reporting, growth and development reporting, food writing and for her use of social media.

Lana Ferguson

The Island Packet

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Lana Ferguson typically covers stories in northern Beaufort County, Jasper County and Hampton County. She joined The Island Packet & Beaufort Gazette in 2018 as a crime/breaking news reporter. Before coming to the Lowcountry, she worked for publications in her home state of Virginia and graduated from the University of Mississippi, where she was editor-in-chief of the daily student newspaper. Lana was also a fellow at the University of South Carolina’s Media Law School in 2019. Support my work with a digital subscription