Hilton Head, S.C. — Island drivers are among the communities named in Beaufort County’s proposed 1% sales tax that could raise about $780 million over nine years for road and safety work, a question now headed to the Nov. 3 ballot.
County materials list congested intersections that would see turn lanes and upgraded signals, including Spanish Wells Road and William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head, along with Buckwalter Parkway and Bluffton Parkway in Bluffton and Lady’s Island Drive at Ribaut Road in Port Royal.
The wider package covers more than 80 projects, with about $326 million for safety and intersection improvements, $249 million for resurfacing and dirt-road paving, and $205 million for road-widening. Major corridor targets also include Highway 170 and Highway 46 in Okatie and U.S. 278 in Bluffton.
A companion bonding question would let the county borrow up to $450 million against future tax revenue so projects could start sooner. If the tax passes without bonding, work would still proceed but wait for cash to build.
At Thursday hearings, residents said traffic is a real problem but questioned whether unfinished 2018 referendum projects and oversight gaps justify another large ask. County leaders said a citizen oversight committee and a tighter project list are meant to address trust concerns after a failed 2024 vote.
If approved, the tax would begin May 1, 2027, and end on or before April 30, 2036, with unprepared grocery food exempt under the county’s description of the plan.
