Cops say ‘stay off the roads’ as Helene’s winds shut down Beaufort County traffic signals

Traffic signals were not functional at several major intersections of U.S. 278 and S.C. 170 Friday afternoon after Helene left thousands of Beaufort County residents without power.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol advised motorists to treat intersections with defective signals like a four-way stop and proceed with caution. Officials continue to recommend residents stay off the roadways unless necessary, Trooper Nick Pye said Friday afternoon.

Hannah Robinson, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, said the agency was prioritizing primary routes but as of 12:30 p.m. Friday, there was no specific timeline on restoring the lights on Fording Island Road.

As of 1 p.m., power remained out for 32,347 Dominion Energy customers in Beaufort County — more than half of the 61,494 local customers tracked by the website PowerOutage.us. For the 54,600 households under the Palmetto Electric Cooperative, only 1,743 were without power. Total outages were down 20% since Friday morning as crews continued to make steady progress.

Traffic signals were out at the following intersections as of 1:30 p.m. Friday:

• U.S. 278 / Buck Island Road, Belfair Oaks Drive
• U.S. 278 / Simmonsville Road, Belfair Village Drive
• U.S. 278 / Bluffton Road, Crescent Drive
• U.S. 278 / Burnt Church Road, Timblestone Road
• U.S. 278 / Malphrus Road, Colleton River Drive
• U.S. 278 / Buckingham Planatation Drive, Moss Creek Drive
• S.C. 170 / Argent Boulevard
• S.C. 170 / Savannah Highway
• S.C. 170 / Castle Rock Road

Red lights across Hilton Head Island seemed to be functional Friday afternoon. Because most of its power lines are located underground, the island was safe from the widespread power outages that plagued surrounding areas.

To update us about non-functional traffic signals in the Beaufort County area, email newsroom@islandpacket.com.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 1:51 PM.

Evan McKenna

The Island Packet

(843) 321-8375

Evan is a breaking news reporter for The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. A Tennessee native and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, he reports on crime and safety across Beaufort and Jasper counties. For tips or story ideas, email emckenna@islandpacket.com or call 843-321-8375.

Chloe Appleby

The Island Packet

843-443-2417

Chloe Appleby is a general assignment reporter for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette. A North Carolina native, she has spent time reporting on higher education in the Southeast. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Davidson College and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.