Beaufort County got $146M in 2018 for traffic issue. Why are only 10% of projects complete?

In November, Beaufort County leaders are asking voters to pass another 1% sales tax to fund needed traffic improvements.

This comes after a 2018 tax to solve a similar problem has seen only 10% of the projects completed.

The new one-cent sales tax won’t go into effect until the former one concludes, according to the council, but residents are wary — especially since the projects were meant to curb the rising number of traffic accidents and fatalities. The county passed the 2018 penny referendum on November 6, 2018, and the tax increase went into effect May 1, 2019. The tax has collected about $146 million through July 2024, according to a monthly financial report.

The 2018 referendum includes three categories: US 278 corridor traffic improvements with one project, Lady’s Island corridor traffic improvements with nine projects and sidewalks and multi-use pathways with 24 projects involving 31 roads, according to the Beaufort County Engineering department. Of the 34 projects included in the referendum, 3.5 are complete, one is in construction, two are in the right of way acquisition stage, three are on-hold, 14.5 are in the design phase and the rest are not yet in development.

“Infrastructure projects take a long time to develop,” according to a modified proposed transportation sales and use tax referendum PDF. “Even the most straightforward projects (such as pathways) have the same steps of design, permitting through state and federal agencies, property acquisition and utility coordination.”

At the time the referendum was passed by voters, the original estimate of the cost for all of the projects was $120 million. The county later realized the funds would not cover all of the projects’ costs. Specifically, with the sidewalks and multi-use pathways, the county decided to prioritize about half of the projects while they sought additional funding.

With the raising of $146 million through July from the tax those funds are being used for revised project budget amounts over the past six years, according to the county’s website.

The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette created a spreadsheet using information from the county’s website to show 27 road projects being worked on. Below is an in-depth look into what each project entails.

US 278 Corridor

Beaufort County, in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, is planning improvements to the US 278 corridor between Bluffton and Hilton Head Island, specifically from Moss Creek Drive to Spanish Wells Road. The project’s purpose, according to the US 278 improvements website, aims to address structural issues with the eastbound MacKay Creek Bridge, originally built in 1956, and to reduce congestion along this segment of US 278.

Key improvements include:

• Replacing the eastbound MacKay Creek Bridge

• Modifying the remaining three bridges

• Enhancing performance at major intersections

• Improving access to Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge

• Improving access to the C.C. Haigh, Jr. boat ramp

Pending Federal Highway Administration, this years selected alternatives include:

• Removing one of two right turn lanes from Squire Pope Road onto US 278 toward Bluffton

• Removing one of two left turns from US 278 onto Squire Pope Road

The traffic improvements are funded through the 2018 penny referendum, SCDOT and the state infrastructure bank. The council in 2018 allocated $80 million for US 278 corridor traffic improvements, but it is unclear if the budget will need to be adjusted.

The project is in the final stages of the Environmental Review process, according to the modified referendum PDF, and will then move to the final design stage.

Lady’s Island Corridor

About $30 million dollars were allocated for nine projects along the US21/SC802 corridor to improve traffic in 2017. Of that amount, around $4 million were expended for about half of the projects.

The nine projects — including one project split into two phases — include:

• Airport Frontage Road (Phase 1): New access road from Lost Island Road to Sea Island Parkway
• Airport Frontage Road (Phase 2): Realignment of Little Creek Road to Lost Island Road
• Beaufort High School Access Realignment: New access to Beaufort High School
• Hazel Farm Road & Gay Drive: Streetscaping
• Lady’s Island Middle School Access Road: New Road from the intersection of Sea Island Parkway/Gay Drive to the intersection of Robin Drive/Katy Circle and close existing Cougar Drive at Sea Island Parkway
• Mayfair Court Extension: Improvement of existing road and extension to William Street
• Meadowbrooke Drive Extension: New road from Dow Road to Tidewatch Professional Complex
• Sam’s Point Turn Lane: New right turn lane at the intersection of Sam’s Point Road (SC 802) and Sea Island Parkway (US 21 Bus/US 21)
• Sunset Boulevard and Miller Drive West: Streetscaping
• US21 Business, US21 & SC802 Mainline Improvements: Streetscaping, capacity and access management

Two of the projects — Airport Frontage Road (Phase 1) and Sam’s Point Turn Lane — are completed. Three of the projects — Beaufort High School Access Realignment, Mayfair Court Extension and Meadowbrooke Drive Extension are on hold. The remaining projects are in the design process with all having over 50% of the design completed.

Of the completed projects, Airport Frontage Road (Phase 1) spent over half of the money allotted for both of the phases, requiring the county to revise the almost $5 million budget with an increase of $2 million dollars. Sam’s Point Turn Lane’s $761,000 budget was not revised; however, it went over by almost $29,000.

Little was expended on the projects on hold, but all budgets were revised. The budget for Beaufort High School Access Realignment was revised and increased by $6 million. Mayfair Court Extension’s budget almost doubled and Meadowbrooke Drive Extension’s budget grew by about $200,000.

The most substantial budget increases are from projects in the design process. US21 Business, US21 and SC802 Mainline Improvements budget increased by $33 million from $10 million and Hazel Farm Road and Gay Drive increased by $7 million from $3 million — both projects show the largest increase in budget for all known parts of the traffic improvement plan.

Due to these revisions, the budget for the Lady’s Island Corridor plan almost tripled in cost from almost $30 million to a little over $81 million.

Construction for the projects in the design process are scattered from on-hold — US21 Business, US21 and SC802 Mainline Improvements — to early 2025 to late 2026. The end of the construction process is mid-2026 to early 2028.

Sidewalks and Multi-Use Pathways

Ten million dollars was allocated for 24 pathways in 2017; however, the pathways cost exceeded that amount so the council prioritized 14 pathways in May 2019. Some projects have been separated for clarity.

• Alljoy Road: 6′ sidewalk from Burnt Church Road to Thomas Lawton Drive

• Big Estate Road: 8′ sidewalk from US Highway 17 to Big Estate Circle

• Bluffton Parkway: 8’ sidewalk from existing to SC 46 roundabout

• Broad River Boulevard to Riley Road: 5′ sidewalk from existing sidewalk on Broad River Boulevard and continuing on Riley Road for approximately 2,100 feet

• Broad River Drive: 5′ sidewalk from Shell Point Road to Parris Island Gateway

• Burton Hill Road: 10′ multi-use pathway from Old Salem Road to Broad River Boulevard and a proposed crosswalk to connect to the existing pathway on the south side of Broad River Boulevard to Boundary Street

• Depot Road: 10′ multi-use path from the Spanish Moss Trail to Ribaut Road

• Martin Luther King Jr. Drive: 5′ sidewalk from Sea Island Parkway to Jonathan Francis Senior Road with a 10′ boardwalk over the creek

• Laurel Bay Road: 10′ multi-use from the Laurel Bay Military Housing Complex to US 21 (Trask Parkway)

• Meridian Road: 10′ multi-use pathway from Lady’s Island Drive to Sea Island Parkway

• Middle Road: 8′ sidewalk from Walnut Hill Street to Sam’s Point Road

• Old Salem Road: 10′ multi-use path from proposed Burton Hill Pathway to proposed Salem Road Pathway

• Ribaut Road to Parris Island Gateway: 5′ sidewalk from Lenora Drive to the existing near Rahn Lane

• Salem Road: 8′ sidewalk from Robert Smalls Parkway to Old Salem Road

• Shad Avenue: 5′ sidewalk/10′ multi-use path from Alljoy Road to Ulmer Road

• Stuart Point Road: 8′ shared use path from Delaney Circle to US 21

• Ulmer Road: 10’ multi-use path from Shad Avenue to Burnt Church Road

The original budget had the priority projects costing more than $26 million, but after revisions the projects budget grew by almost $10 million. Bluffton Parkway and Ribaut Road to Parris Island are completed with Bluffton Parkway exceeding the original budget amount by $133,000 and Ribaut Road to Parris Island saving money by $345,000.

Laurel Bay Road is under construction and is expected to be finished by the end of the year. It has a South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs grant for about $3 million.

Depot Road and Stuart Point are in the right of way acquisition stage and both have a community development block grant for $200,000. Construction start and end dates are to be determined.



Alljoy Road is one of 12 priority projects in the design stage and has a Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside grant for a little over $1 million. Of the projects in the in-design phase, almost 60% are below the halfway point.



Burton Hill Road and Middle Road had the greatest increase in revisions to its budget with Burton Hill Road’s budget increasing by almost $2 million and Middle Road increasing by about $1 million.

This story was originally published August 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM.

Isabella Douglas

The Island Packet

Isabella Douglas is the accountability reporter for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette. A graduate of the University of Florida, she has spent time reporting for The Independent Florida Alligator, Fresh Take Florida and New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a concentration in criminology.