Widening bridge to alleviate congestion is major waste of money and won’t fix problem | Opinion

Stop wasting money

It doesn’t take an engineering genius to see that before spending $450 million for a wider bridge on Route 278 to hopefully alleviate traffic congestion, consider where vehicles are actually heading. In this case: A small island that has already met its carrying capacity.

If this is not the case, then why is the Township of Hilton Head now planning to add parking meters? The bottom line is that any bridge expansion project will only result in a shift of a bottle neck somewhere else.

Clearly, no amount of money or design will resolve the existing rush hour traffic jams or the summertime travelers.

Traffic congestion is not unique to Hilton Head.

Every coastal location from Cape Cod to Clearwater Beach, FL, experiences the same seasonal traffic congestion scenario.

So unless some politician is looking to put his or her name on a bridge, or if the money is already obligated, then let’s put the money where it’s better needed.

Yes, the Chamber of Commerce also needs to stop wasting everybody’s money in advertising the island.

The beauty and allure of Hilton Head Island is no secret anymore.

Daniel Shinder, HHI

Memorial Day honors

Memorial Day will be observed on May 27, a time to remember and honor America’s servicemen and women who gave their lives to bring freedom to people they did not know, usually in countries far away.

The words “Freedom is Not Free” are engraved on the Korean War Memorial in Washington, where our fallen heroes are remembered for their sacrifice in defense of freedom in South Korea.

A Wall of Remembrance was added to this memorial in July 2022. On it are engraved the names of the 36,574 who lost their lives during the three-year Korean War, June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953.

The Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA) invites you to visit the Korean War Memorial online.

The Korean War Project is another website you may wish to view.

It lists America’s war dead from the Korean War by name, hometown and state; whether killed in action (KIA), missing in action (MIA), or prisoner of war (POW); and history of each unit’s involvement in that war, plus much more.

To quote a line from a song by The Soldiers, “Just one day is not enough for the ones who gave their lives.”

So true. Not only this Memorial Day, but throughout the year, let’s think of those who made the supreme sacrifice in defense of freedom everywhere, and honor and remember them.

Charlotte Ayers, Beaufort

Minor annoyance?

When Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted for bringing a bill to the House to keep the country running, I felt his actions ignored the threat to his position, and, in my humble opinion, made him a hero.

At that point, we were talking about a budget that should have been approved in July.

The fact that the Congress failed to establish the budget well into 2024 is proof of something I’ve believed for a long time now: Neither the House nor the Senate are willing or capable of doing the job they have been elected to do.

Now Rep. Mike Johnson has barely escaped the same situation as his predecessor.

We have either elected a group of total incompetents or a group totally unable to get past their parties’ needs or wants, no matter what effect this may have on the country and people they are allegedly sworn to serve.

In either case, it seems we need to seriously consider term limits.

In addition, there is no reason, when a shutdown of the country occurs, that the people responsible for the timely creation of a budget, should continue to get paid or receive the numerous benefits that they are entitled to by virtue of their positions.

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that Congress and predominantly the House are operating as if we are just a minor annoyance and if they ignore us, we will go away quietly.

Joe Malcolm, Lancaster

This story was originally published May 5, 2024 at 6:00 AM.