Beaufort Co. makes final pitch to reach agreement with Hilton Head on 278 bridge project

The Beaufort County Council delayed a vote Monday on their reduced scope resolution for the 278 bridge project in a final attempt to reach an agreement with the Town of Hilton Head.

Essentially, the county wants one bridge and to begin now; the town wants two bridges and another traffic study.

A memorandum of understanding has been sent to the Town of Hilton Head Island from Beaufort County, according to County Council Chairman Joe Passiment. This comes after the county Public Facilities Committee voted unanimously last month to “narrow the scope” of the $320 million project and move forward with one bridge, without any recommendations from the town of HIlton Head.

“A final attempt is being made by the staff of the County and the Town of Hilton Head to finalize a Memorandum of Understanding that will allow this County project to move forward with feedback from the Town of Hilton Head,” said Passiment. “I call on the Elected leaders of Hilton Head to read every line of the proposed (memorandum) and see that compromises have been made and the proposed MOU strengthens the relationship between the two professional staffs and creates the best possible outcome for all our residents.”

Two thirds of the project “cannot and will not be changed” no matter how many studies are done, said Passiment. The federal guidelines set on the project are “non-negotiable” because they cross the intercoastal waterway and the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, he said.

The new bridge is planned to start at Moss Creek and end at Windmill Harbor.

The county is responsible for starting the project by 2024 and finishing it four years later in 2028, because of an intergovernmental agreement signed with South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank, Passiment said. In order to avoid delays, the county moved forward with the project, reducing the scope to only county and federal land.

“We cannot hold this project up any longer,” said Passiment. “It is time to move forward and stay on the current timeline.”

The county and the town have been in disagreement for years about the bridge. The Town of Hilton Head wants two three-lane bridges, while the county prefers building one six-lane bridge.

The County Council plans to vote on a final bridge plan, with or without a Memorandum of Understanding between the two local governments, at its next meeting on Sept. 26.

“Staff from the Town and County have been jointly working for several weeks on this matter,” said Carolyn Grant, spokesperson for the town of Hilton Head. “The Town just recently received a revised draft of the MOU document. The County has indicated that they will be discussing this matter at their next Public Facilities Committee meeting on September 19th and then again at their next County Council meeting on September 26th. The Town will take up this matter at its meeting on October 4th following approval of the amended MOU by Beaufort County.”

Steven Baer, a former county councilman and critic of the council’s handling of the project, accused the County Council of failing to perform its due diligence on the matter.



“An infrastructure investment of this size and a traffic congestion problem of this magnitude requires in-depth end (to) end analysis,” Baer said in a statement. “It should be viewed as an opportunity to greatly improve our congestion problem and environment rather than brushing aside all sophistication to rush to spend all (or) most of the funds on a bridge that may not work, may not meet the community’s concerns, and may displace elements that could work.”

This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 12:31 PM.