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Council hears update on William Hilton Parkway gateway project; PSD relocation costs and Stoney funding flagged
Summary
Town manager briefed council on a joint meeting with Beaufort County about the William Hilton Parkway Gateway corridor project. Council members questioned funding allocations for waterline relocation (PSD costs), a county-proposed $3.5 million for immediate Stoney neighborhood safety work and a new $15 million engineering cost SCDOT disclosed.
Town Manager Eric Orlando updated Hilton Head Island Town Council on a Feb. 12 joint workshop with Beaufort County and SCDOT about the William Hilton Parkway Gateway corridor project and a draft joint resolution being circulated to state funding partners.
Orlando said Beaufort County staff presented SCDOT proposals and a draft joint resolution that would, among other elements, replace two bridges and construct an eastbound bridge that could be striped for two lanes while being designed for four lanes in the future. He said the current project funding shown in the draft was $298,530,000.
Why it matters: The corridor project affects traffic access to and from the island and includes ancillary infrastructure work (waterline relocation) for which the draft resolution and MOA assign responsibilities. Council members worried that relocation costs might fall to the Public Service District (PSD) and, ultimately, PSD customers.
What was discussed
- PSD relocation funding: The draft memorandum of agreement referenced a $6.5 million appropriation to assist with relocation costs that exceed the project’s relocation allowances. Orlando said the draft assigned responsibility for relocation costs above project funds to the PSD, which prompted council concern because PSD customers (ratepayers) would bear those increases. One council member said the PSD’s updated relocation estimate is “around the $20,000,000 range.”
- Stoney neighborhood funds: The draft indicated $3.5 million in local county funds would be allocated to a local road project to address immediate safety concerns in the Stoney community, with the town overseeing design and construction.
- New engineering cost discovered: Council members said SCDOT disclosed an additional $15,000,000 in engineering costs that had not been in earlier estimates, a disclosure one council member described as a “bombshell.” That revelation reduced local reserve availability for neighborhood funding, the council said.
Council direction and next steps
Orlando said he and Beaufort County Administrator Michael Moore will exchange edits to the draft resolution; Moore had told Orlando the county expected to vote soon. Orlando asked council for additional guidance, particularly on how to treat PSD costs in the MOA language; council members asked for more time to reach a consensus and suggested another joint meeting to finalize a coordinated town/county position before the March 31 state deadline.
Quotations
“We talked about next steps to include a joint resolution,” Orlando said. “There was also an opportunity for you to comment … you all started to lean towards option 1, but with different specific concerns on the safety of travel on the bridge and through the Stoney Historic Neighborhood.”
Ending
Council did not take a formal vote on the draft resolution at the meeting. Staff said they will draft proposed edits, coordinate with county staff and return to council for additional direction; a county vote was anticipated soon, and council members urged an expedited joint meeting if possible.
