Hilton Head’s new traffic signal won’t impact morning rush hour. It will for ride home

More traffic control is coming today to the western side of Hilton Head Island. The winners here are drivers trying to get in and out of Windmill Harbour’s 348 Charleston-Style residences. Still to be seen is what impact this new signal will have on afternoon traffic hustling westbound to get across the bridges to Bluffton.

Currently, the 45 mph signs posted near the community’s entrance don’t do much to slow drivers headed to the island who’ve just barreled over the Hilton Head bridges — at least during non-rush hour times.

Windmill’s drivers are left to desperately look for an opening to head westbound, hopscotching their way across two lanes and then made to sit in the median waiting for the glut of westbound traffic to ebb.

It’s a real world game of “Frogger,” the 80’s video arcade game where a player tries to get a frog across dangerous roads and rivers to safety.

During rush hour, Windmill drivers now hope for a good Samaritan who will stop and part the river of bumper-to-bumper cars to let them cross.

The signals, currently flashing yellow to warn drivers of the new installation, will become active today at 10 a.m. and will utilize a loop system, where sensors in the pavement will activate the lights.

For those dreading being stuck behind the lights on U.S. 278, Beaufort County Transportation Construction manager Bryan Bauer said “U.S. 278 will remain the dominate route.”

Why the 10 a.m. start time?

Bauer said the timing was chosen to miss any morning rush hour traffic accidents and before the lunch rush allowing the county to not “cut it (signals) on” if a major issue arises.

While Beaufort County will maintain the signal, Bauer said S.C. Department of Transportation did all of the traffic engineering and design for the signal.

How it’ll work.

When vehicles begin stacking on the side roads the loops cut into the road trigger the signal allowing drivers to cross U.S. 278 with a preset “max time” to get across.

If the main line (U.S. 278) sensors notice that cars are beginning to clog on U.S. 278, traffic flow will be restored to the highway.

Bauer, while not a signal designer, assumes the option to tweak timing issues due to traffic volume will be done to accommodate any issues.

As the U.S. 278 widening project continues, the poles and signals will be brought up to style with other island signals and will be equipped with the town’s Adaptive Traffic Signal Management program.

The timing of those events is still quite fluid.

This story was originally published October 5, 2023 at 9:21 AM.