Construction on US 278 to Hilton Head? It’s a rush to relocate the Daufuskie ferry
Two weeks remain before the new year and people are rushing to get things done. Holiday shopping. Travel plans. Tying up loose ends at work.
Beaufort County is no different.
Those crossing the U.S. 278 bridge to Hilton Head Island may notice construction workers and heavy machinery on Pinckney Island’s C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing. Following a March 2023 court order forcing the county to move the Daufuskie Island Ferry embarkation point from Buckingham Landing, the county is preparing a temporary site. The makeshift embarkation site has to be ready by Jan. 1 to comply with the order and is on track to do so, according to county spokesperson Hannah Nichols.
Beaufort County has mulled over the embarkation point change since at least 2020. The county’s longtime awareness and consideration of the problem hasn’t prevented eleventh-hour plan changes and construction. The last-minute decisions have brought up traffic safety concerns around C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing and questions over why that landing can’t be used as a permanent landing, especially because the county recommended it as a permanent landing in 2020.
In December, the county designated the Cross Island Boat Landing as the permanent embarkation point. However, a major complication arose. The county still doesn’t own the land it’s planned to condemn next to the Cross Island Boat Landing, making it unable to build parking to accommodate those taking the ferry.
So, for now, the county will switch to C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing as the temporary embarkation location starting Jan. 1 until it can work out the land ownership snag with its Cross Island Boat Landing plan.
Nichols didn’t say how long the county expects C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing to serve as the temporary embarkation point.
At the C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing site, the county is installing street lamp lighting, permeable paving grids and four portable toilets to prepare for 170 parking spaces. There won’t be a gate or security for cars left overnight, similar to Buckingham Landing, Nichols said.
But Nichols said the the C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing site can’t be permanent due to land-use restrictions. The landing is leased from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the state and maintained by the county, according to the Beaufort County Code of Ordinances.
Because the county is leasing the land from the federal government, it has to be “in cooperation with the wildlife preserve there,” Nichols said, which means it has to function within certain zoning and land-use restrictions.
The Beaufort County Code of Ordinances designates that “the county’s Pinckney Island Landing and ramp is maintained by the county for the purpose of a ferry access to Daufuskie Island.” Among other reasons, the ordinance leaves many Daufuskie Island residents wondering why the C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing cannot become the permanent embarkation site instead of hashing out issues with the proposed Cross Island Boat Landing switch including paying millions to condemn the land for parking.
“Beaufort County accepted it that way and that’s what went into the code of ordinances,” said Pat Allison, a Daufuskie Island resident. “If they don’t want to use that as the ferry landing, then they should give that land back to the state of South Carolina.”
And there’s a good reason the island’s residents want the Pinckney Island landing as a permanent embarkation site. It’s closer to the mainland — where many residents shop and work — than the Cross Island Boat Landing.
Why can’t C.C. Haigh, Jr. be the permanent landing?
C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing isn’t suitable as the permanent embarkation point because land-use restrictions permit permanent structures on the land such as restrooms, according to Nichols. However, in January 2020 Beaufort County identified 10 potential sites that could serve as the new embarkation point and the county chose C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing over all of them, including the now-planned permanent location at Cross Island Boat Landing.
Even then, the county said it was concerned whether it could be a permanent embarkation site. During a January 2020 public facilities meeting, David Wilhelm, the county’s director of capital projects, stated the issue.
“There is a stipulation that when the federal government deeded the land that the property could not be used for commercial use but does allow ferry service,” Wilhelm said.
During that time, the county drew up diagrams for C.C. Haig, Jr. Boat Landing, which included permanent structures such as concessions, restrooms and bag storage areas.
“This is not pie-in-the-sky stuff,” Allison said of the county’s 2020 plans.
At that meeting, the county council also spoke about traffic concerns for the C.C. Haig, Jr. Boat Landing. They discussed potentially building an access road under the bridge so that drivers coming from Hilton Head Island wouldn’t have to cross two lanes of traffic to enter the landing.
Now, C.C. Haig, Jr. Boat Landing will be a temporary embarkation with the same traffic concerns, but without the access road.
Traffic concerns
Navigating the U.S. 278 bridge to Hilton Head Island is stressful enough without making any extra turns off the 55 mph and frequently traffic-ridden highway. Accessing the C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing could double down on that stress.
- Entering the landing from Bluffton? Drivers are met with a short turning lane and hook right.
- Coming into the landing from Hilton Head? Drivers enter a short turning lane and then cross two lanes of traffic.
- Leaving the landing and driving toward Hilton Head? There’s no turning lane to turn right.
- Exiting the landing and headed to Bluffton? Drivers cross two lanes of traffic to merge left.
There won’t be any traffic-flow changes to U.S. 278 to accommodate the embarkation point, according to Nichols. She said the county doesn’t have plans for traffic guards or to control lights to time traffic to make it easier to enter and exit the boat landing.
“It’s not that much harder to get in and out of than Buckingham landing,” she said. “Some people have said that they prefer it.”
To facilitate extra parking, the county is adding a loop within the parking lot for trucks hauling boats. Those trucks will have to enter the landing’s parking area and loop around it before backing into the boat ramp, according to Nichols.
This story was originally published December 20, 2023 at 12:51 PM.
