Hilton Head council presses partners for March 31 decision on US‑278 bridge, funding and corridor scope

Hilton Head Island town council members spent the Jan. 27 workshop urging staff and county partners to clarify costs and roles ahead of a Jan. 30 meeting with the South Carolina Department of Transportation and Beaufort County and a March 31 deadline for a clear funding direction.

Council and staff focused on four interrelated questions: whether the town and county want to fund a reduced, roughly $300 million project scope; whether the eastbound bridge should be built as a two‑lane or three‑lane structure with breakdown shoulders; whether the bridge should include a separated 10‑ to 12‑foot bike/ped pathway; and which local and state sources (including the State Infrastructure Bank, or SIB, and the 2018 transportation sales/use tax referendum) can be applied to which segments from Moss Creek Drive through Spanish Wells and the Cross Island Parkway.

The meeting was a planning session rather than a vote. Town staff said they will attend the Columbia meeting with Beaufort County and DOT, collect DOT’s segment cost breakdown, and provide a written summary to council after the Jan. 30 session. Jared, a Beaufort County representative at the workshop, told council that DOT’s three‑lane concept under discussion calls for three 12‑foot lanes plus a 6‑foot inside shoulder and a 10‑foot outside shoulder; DOT and federal funding requirements could limit which elements can be changed without generating new environmental review.

Why it matters: DOT has told the town and county it needs clear direction by March 31 so it can proceed with a bridge replacement on a schedule that could begin construction in 2027. Council members said a short timeline requires them to pick a funding approach and a prioritized list of corridor elements so county, state and federal partners can determine what will be built with available funds.

Key points from the workshop

• Funding and scope. Staff and council reviewed a staff report that lists…