State’s Hilton Head U.S. 278 Corridor study still flawed | Letters
It’s been two months since we first saw SCDOT’s U.S. 278 Corridor plans. They contain major flaws, including dumping traffic into the Spanish Wells Road lights without including efficient connections to the Cross Island Parkway and U.S. 278 Business. Who pays for those missing links?
They also used a flawed methodology that began with the answer they wanted, used insufficient data, and did no network simulation to confirm their results.
That’s a short version of the problems.
Any university business or engineering department would undoubtedly say: “Go back and do your homework.”
Supporters might say: “We voted for this.” That’s untrue. We voted for pie in the sky promises made by three lobbying groups and their $500,000 public relations firms selling us a used car with no wheels. One of those lobbying groups still dominates the town’s Gateway Corridor Committee.
Over 1,400 citizens just signed a petition to revisit and rethink this mess.
We all want better roads and less traffic. This plan will not do that.
The only way forward is to have an independent engineering firm review the data, provide options for our full network, including estimated costs, and perform network simulation studies to prove the plans will actually work. We wasted a year expecting that from SCDOT.
Town and county councils are like the officers on the Titanic receiving notice of serious problems. Do they investigate the warnings or go full steam ahead?
If our councils won’t authorize an independent study, the State Infrastructure Bank should not fund this project.
Steven M. Baer
Hilton Head Island
New Hilton Head law on beach shovels and holes is a necessity
As a resident of Hilton Head Island, I applaud the Town Council, and David Ames especially, for educating themselves about the necessity of a beach shovel and hole ordinance and unanimously passing it. I would imagine that all the pictures, expert opinions, and research that led to the passing of this ordinance would be shared with columnist Liz Farrell if she asked nicely.
While we need to celebrate any attempt at humor these days, please do open those closed eyes and educate yourself about the “hole” picture. Don’t be blind to the reality of the damage caused by unfilled holes, including, yes, broken ankles, dead hatchlings, documented human deaths and the actual erosion of the beach.
I think that any of the hundreds of volunteers who help maintain a healthy and safe beach would be glad to help Liz get “in touch” with the necessity of this ordinance. She should take her tongue out of her cheek and ask the founder of the nonprofit Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head Island, marine biologist Amber Kuehn, to explain why this ordinance is important to our island.
Enforcement of this ordinance is the next step, along with watching where you walk, and the obvious need for continued education.
Barbara Hill-Newby
Hilton Head Island
Vote for roads now paying off on Lady’s Island
A big thank you to all Beaufort County citizens who recently voted and approved the $30 million in road tax money for traffic improvements on Lady’s Island.
And to think, the first project will be a new right-turn lane on Sams Point Road at Sea Island Parkway. As a resident who travels this intersection (commonly called “Kamikaze Korners”) frequently — and a victim of a motor vehicle accident in 2017 that totaled my car, led to a lengthy hospitalization, broken bones and intensive physical therapy — the beginning and completion of this project cannot come too soon.
Carol Young
Lady’s Island
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This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 11:47 AM with the headline "State’s Hilton Head U.S. 278 Corridor study still flawed | Letters."