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County told to find alternative funding within 30 days after SIB declines Hilton Head bridge proposal
Summary
County staff told the Transportation Committee the State Infrastructure Bank unanimously denied the county's cost-sharing proposal for a scaled three-lane bridge; DOT gave the county 30 days to present an alternative or the department may terminate the county's agreement and proceed with a single-span replacement.
A staff member updated the Beaufort County Transportation Committee on May 21 about stalled negotiations with the State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) over the Hilton Head bridge replacement and a firm deadline from the state Department of Transportation.
The staff member said the county currently has about $300 million of available funding for the large bridge project while staff estimates the total project cost at about $490 million, leaving a $190 million funding gap. "We have $300,000,000 in available funding, and the total project cost was estimated at $490,000,000. So a $190,000,000 shortfall," the staff member said.
The county had submitted a proposal to the SIB that included a scaled plan and local funding assumptions; the SIB voted to deny the proposal. The staff member said the SIB's denial did not terminate the county's intergovernmental agreement, but SIB offered a short window to submit a revised offer. The county also received a communication from DOT's secretary that gave the county 30 days to produce an alternate plan or face termination of the current agreement and a DOT-led single-span replacement. "On Friday, we received the email or a letter from secretary Powell at DOT that we had 30 to come up with the solution with the SIB or that they would terminate our agreement," the staff member said.
County council direction and next steps: County council discussed staff recommendations and directed staff to continue negotiations with the SIB and prepare an amended proposal addressing SIB's debrief points for council review. The staff member said the SIB debrief identified concerns including the order of expenditures, backstops for potential overruns, project timing, and the local contribution from Hilton Head; staff said it will attempt to address each point in an updated submission.
What could happen next: Staff plans to present an amended proposal to council at its next meeting for possible referral to the SIB. If the county cannot secure a revised agreement within DOT's 30-day clock, DOT may move forward with replacing the single span itself.
Committee questions: Members asked whether the SIB provided a checklist of acceptable changes; staff said the SIB offered feedback at debrief but no definitive acceptance checklist, and that staff will make an amended offer to respond to the stated concerns.
