After delay, Hilton Head approves independent review of US 278 bridge project
After Hilton Head Island leaders delayed a consultant’s independent review of plans for U.S. 278 because some council members disagreed with the town’s involvement, the Town Council has approved an agreement with Beaufort County to begin the independent review.
The town, which did not initiate the plans for an independent consultant, took issue with Hilton Head’s diminished role, outlined in a memorandum of agreement written by town and county staff. After discussion on Nov. 4, the town council tabled a vote until its meeting on Tuesday.
This week, the town added language in its agreement, asserting that it is an equal partner with the county in the project. The changes are minor.
Beaufort County Council leaders had expected the town to pass the memorandum earlier this month so the consultant could start work, according to County Council member Stu Rodman at the body’s Oct. 26 meeting. The County Council does not have to again approve the agreement since the changes were “not significant,” according to interim County Administrator Eric Greenway.
The reason for the back and forth is because town leaders have wanted more say in the independent review of the $300 million project, which will completely reimagine the entrance to Hilton Head Island and result in five years of construction between Moss Creek Drive and Spanish Wells Drive.
But after Beaufort County, at the encouragement of S.C. Sen Tom Davis, drafted a plan for an independent consultant and hired an affiliated contractor to do the review, Hilton Head leaders said they felt they were “playing second fiddle” to the county government — which will be less affected by the project.
Town Council member David Ames said some residents on the island don’t expect the review to be independent because the contracting firm works regularly with Beaufort County and SCDOT — both of which have been HDR clients. He said the consulting firm’s project managers will need to work with its oversight committee or risk a “path of suspicion.”
Assistant Town Manager Josh Gruber said the county’s retained contracting firm, HDR, was chosen so the county could avoid a competitive bid process that would have slowed the review process.
But Davis said he doesn’t want HDR’s review to “duplicate a rubber stamp” on the DOT’s final plan for the highway project.
On Tuesday, Ames was the sole vote against the agreement, which he said should require weekly communication between the consultant and the future oversight committee.
“The effort will fail if the oversight committee isn’t engaged,” he said.
U.S. 278 consultant review timeline
In the background of disagreements over who should lead the project is a looming timeline of the S.C. Department of Transportation, which has drawn nine potential alignments of the highway and is reviewing them. The SCDOT expects to release its final plan for U.S. 278 this winter.
For most of the summer, residents pushed for an outside consulting firm to review the plans. They feared there was not enough public input on the project and that it put the historic Stoney community and nearby wetlands at risk.
If an independent consultant has not reviewed the plans and made recommendations by the winter, the DOT’s timeline may be pushed back.
Sen. Davis, who has fervently advocated for an independent review, said the SCDOT’s timeline can be flexible.
Within the independent review process, the town and county agreed to appoint a citizen oversight committee. That committee will be composed of:
- One Beaufort County staff member and one Town of Hilton Head Island staff member
- One member at-large from Jenkins Island
- Two at-large members from Hilton Head Island
- Two at-large members from the Stoney community at the base of the bridge
The Beaufort County staff member and Jenkins Island member will be appointed by Joe Passiment, chairman of County Council.
The Town of Hilton Head staff member and the Hilton Head Island at-large members will be appointed by John McCann, mayor of Hilton Head Island.
The Stoney at-large members will be mutually agreed upon by Passiment and McCann.
This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
