Town seeks funding routes for $126M corridor plan; staff flags NEPA and multi‑year timelines

Consultants presented a feasibility‑level total cost of roughly $126 million (in 2025 dollars) to implement the full William Hilton Parkway master plan in multiple phases. Town Manager Orlando and staff described a funding strategy that layers local capital (CIP, TIF), county referendum funds (where applicable), state sources and targeted federal grants; staff said some early projects already appear in the capital program and that internal TIF work has begun.

Staff and consultants cautioned that larger projects—particularly any grade separations or flyovers with potential wetland impacts—are likely to trigger more substantial environmental review under NEPA and state permitting processes and will therefore have multi‑year schedules. A staff member described a procedural path: meet with SCDOT and FHWA representatives, publish intent and public notices where NEPA applies, prepare draft documentation and run public comment periods, and then finalize grant applications and MOUs with funding partners. "When federal money, either direct or indirect, is involved you typically have to go through a NEPA process," a consultant said. For that reason staff recommended pursuing a mix of state/local funding for shorter‑term baseline fixes while initiating NEPA/permitting work now for long‑lead projects.