State infrastructure bank rejects reduced plan; Hilton Head, Beaufort County weigh narrower bridge or revised funding deal

Town and county officials briefed the Hilton Head Island Town Council May 20 on the future of the long-running William Hilton Gateway Corridor project after the South Carolina State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) board unanimously rejected Beaufort County27s request to accept a reduced-scope, reduced-cost plan.

The SIB27s May 12 vote followed months of review after a 2024 sales-tax referendum failed to produce the local funding previously promised for a $488 million corridor upgrade. Sean Cohen, town staff who presented the update to council, said SIB staff told the county their submission violated parts of the intergovernmental agreement and left key items unclear. "They rejected the proposal, at their meeting unanimously," Cohen said.

Why this matters: the SIB had committed $120 million to the larger project; Beaufort County had identified roughly $101 million in local commitments (about $80 million from the 2018 sales-tax referendum plus about $21 million in impact fees), and SCDOT had indicated an increased contribution in the…