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Beaufort opens downtown connector to Spanish Moss Trail; officials outline $707,000 project and next links to Port Royal
Summary
Beaufort County and the city marked completion of a downtown connector along Depot Road, a project leaders said cost about $707,000 and was funded by the 2018 transportation tax referendum, city CDBG money and contributions from the Spanish Moss Trail organization; officials said a Port Royal connection is expected soon.
Local and county leaders joined Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail for a ribbon-cutting for a new downtown connector along Depot Road that officials say will link Downtown Beaufort to Downtown Port Royal and improve safe access for walkers, cyclists and families.
Alice Howard, chair of the Beaufort County Council, said the project “costs over $700,000.” In an interview later in the broadcast Howard provided a more specific total, saying the full project was about $707,000 and that the county’s share was “over almost $450,000,” funded by the 2018 transportation tax referendum. Howard also said $50,000 came from the Spanish Moss Trail and the city applied for and secured a $200,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
Mayor Phil Cromer thanked the Friends group and county partners and said the city helped secure the CDBG funds that contributed to the connector. Dean Moss and Joe, chair of the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail, described the connector as one of several ongoing efforts to finish connections between neighborhood pinch points and grow the trail network.
Speakers described near-term work to extend the trail across Rebow Road into Port Royal; Dean Moss said an easement with Safe Harbor Marine was completed and expected the Port Royal connection to be open by the end of the month. Friends leaders and county officials framed the connector as part of a longer-term plan to extend the Spanish Moss Trail toward the Whale Branch Bridge, Ladies Island and ultimately to link into the East Coast Greenway corridor.
Organizers said the project was the product of long planning, multiple funding streams and negotiations over right-of-way. No formal votes or policy changes were recorded at the event; organizers encouraged public attendance at an upcoming transportation advisory committee meeting on February 18 at 1:00 p.m. in Council Chambers to provide input on a 2026 referendum.
