Has the speed limit on the Cross Island Parkway changed to 45 mph? Here’s what happened
Has the speed limit been reduced to 45 mph on the Cross Island Parkway?
Drivers began noticing the lower speed limit signs last week replacing the previous 55 mph postings. But Hilton Head drivers and commuters can rest easy — the slow down is due to an error, town officials said.
Jeff Buckalew, Hilton Head Island’s town engineer, said the speed limit will remain 55 mph. An oversight on a recently completed South Carolina Department of Transportation project led to workers putting 45 mph signs up by mistake upon completion of the work between exits leading to Marshland Road and Spanish Wells Road, and the ramps to Gumtree Road.
The signs sparked speculation that the entirety of the Cross Island Parkway would have its speed limit reduced, but Buckalew confirmed the 55 mph zone will be preserved. In fact, the 45 mph signs should be pulled down by SCDOT contractors sometime today, Buckalew said Tuesday.
“It is going to change back,” Buckalew said. “I saw it, we were getting calls as well ... I got word from DOT yesterday that it was an error, those signs will be pulled soon and that straight stretch will go back to 55 mph. I’ve advised the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and folks around here that that has happened.”
Buckalew said the town received calls from residents and law enforcement alike when the signs went up, equally curious about the discrepancy.
“I do not know about (speed limit) enforcement in the mean time,” Buckalew said. “The sheriff’s deputies as well I think knew, ‘Hey, it used to be 55 through here,’ so they were confused.”
Maj. Angela Viens, public information officer for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s office, said Tuesday morning she didn’t immediately know whether any drivers had received tickets on the parkway since the new signs were posted.
If any drivers received a citation for speeding on the stretch while the signs were up, Viens said, the courts would be lenient.
“I’d have to verify that it was supposed to be 55 and not 45,” Viens said, “but if a ticket was written erroneously based on the sign, then it would be dismissed in court.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2022 at 9:55 AM.
