1 bridge or 2? Beaufort Co., Hilton Head officials seemingly at impasse over US 278 plan
The heated debate over how to proceed with the sprawling U.S. 278 improvement project is at an impasse.
That much was made clear Thursday during an unprecedented, roughly two-hour-long workshop between members of the Beaufort County Council and the Hilton Head Town Council.
“I thought we were much further along with agreeing on how we want to proceed,” County Council member Larry McElynn said. “I’m very disappointed that we seem to have reached a stalemate.”
What’s going on exactly, and what does it mean for residents on the island and those who commute long distances to work in Hilton Head restaurants and hotels every morning?
Questions are mounting about the project’s anticipated timeline as government officials offer vastly different perspectives on the contentious plan to overhaul Hilton Head’s single entry and exit point.
The county and town’s central point of disagreement has now boiled down to this: Should the S.C. Department of Transportation build one new six-lane bridge or two new three-lane bridges between Bluffton and Jenkins Island?
The Town Council endorsed the two-bridge plan last year. And Mayor John McCann was adamant Thursday that Beaufort County should support the town’s position on the matter. Having two bridges, the town has argued, would be aesthetically pleasing and could better accommodate an emergency evacuation.
The town’s evacuation argument typically goes like this: If a wayward barge or major hurricane damages the six-lane bridge, residents will be stranded on the island. Having two bridges guarantees at least one escape option.
On the flip side, County Council members expressed no interest in the two-bridge idea Thursday. And the S.C. Department of Transportation and county staff members were wary of the town’s proposal.
Why is the county opposed to two bridges?
Here’s where it gets a bit technical:
The county is receiving $120 million in grant funds from the S.C. Transportation Infrastructure Bank, or SCTIB, for the $290 million project. The county has an agreement with the SCTIB that says if the project is not completed by Dec. 31, 2028, the county will have to reimburse the SCTIB for the bank’s prior financial assistance on the project. (If “exigent circumstances,” though, prevent the county or SCDOT from finishing the project on time, the SCTIB “in its discretion” can grant an extension for the completion date.)
Jared Fralix, assistant county administrator, wants to keep the project on schedule so the county’s SCTIB funding is not jeopardized. If the project goes off track now, Fralix has said other South Carolina counties could jump in and try to snag the $120 million in funds.
Fralix previously told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that the project needs to receive a “Finding of No Significant Impact” from the Federal Highway Administration this summer to remain on schedule. (An approved Finding of No Significant Impact, or FONSI, would basically allow the project to move into its design phase, when architects and planners would determine what kind of railings should go on the new bridge, or bridges, and what landscaping should be performed on Jenkins Island.)
So what could adversely affect Beaufort County’s chances of getting a FONSI this summer?
Craig Winn, the SCDOT project manager, said the two-bridge plan would inevitably create more wetland impacts than the one-bridge proposal, so if the county goes along with the town’s two-bridge idea, “When we go and get the permit, go and get the FONSI for the project, they’re going to look at us and say, ‘You have an alternative (the one-bridge plan) that’s a less-impactful alternative. Why are you not doing that?’”
Winn essentially implied that the county and SCDOT, when seeking a FONSI from the Federal Highway Administration, could have a difficult time justifying the need for two bridges. (And if the federal government declines to issue a FONSI this summer, the project will fall behind schedule, according to Fralix, which is important because of the 2028 deadline in the infrastructure bank agreement.)
Additionally, Winn said it could take five years to build two new bridges, compared with three years for one new bridge. And the two-bridge plan, he said, could add close to $50 million to the total project cost. It also could require residential relocations in the Mariners Cove Club area, Winn said.
Split opinions
The elected officials were unable to resolve the situation Thursday. There remain fundamental differences in the leaders’ opinions about the direction of the project.
That’s important now because the county and SCDOT want all the project partners, including the town of Hilton Head, to endorse the project before asking for a FONSI.
“Hilton Head is a special place. It’s not Any Town USA. And we’re going to lose it, the way the bridge is currently being presented,” Ward 4 Town Council member Tamara Becker said. “It’s not all about the money. It’s about getting it right.”
Winn responded: “Now, when you look at it aesthetically from two bridges, (if) you split ‘em apart, all you’re going to see is the other bridge. You’re not going to see the waterway. You actually have better views under a single-bridge scenario.”
County Council member Logan Cunningham offered his thoughts: “I’ve heard multiple people say, ‘If money’s no object, if money’s no object,’ but that’s not a reality. ... Money is an object and it is something we have to take into consideration.”
“We don’t feel that it’s necessary to expend that kind of money (on the two-bridge plan),” added County Council Chairman Joe Passiment. “We don’t think it’s going to be as beneficial as everybody thinks it’s going to be, as far as aesthetics.”
“Scale is absolutely critical to the entry experience into Hilton Head,” countered Ward 3 Town Council representative David Ames. “By having the single bridge, it’s an introduction to Hilton Head that rivals major cities.”
And so it went on.
Only Ward 5 Town Council member Tom Lennox seemed to change his opinion Thursday, noting that after listening to Fralix and Winn, he supported the recommendation for one bridge.
What’s next?
The ball appears to be in Hilton Head’s court. At this point, Beaufort County is not budging on the two-bridge plan.
“I would hope,” Passiment told island leaders, “that you will be able to go back with your council, discuss this and make a decision as soon as you possibly can.”
County spokesman Chris Ophardt in a statement Friday wrote that the county plans to submit the project’s FONSI application by the end of May.
“We hope that the Town of Hilton Head Council has provided municipal consent for the project by that time,” Ophardt wrote.
The Town Council’s next regular meeting is May 3. The agenda has not been released yet.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 4:23 PM.
