Penny Road Tax Narrowly Clears in Hilton Head Island Area
Published November 5, 2026 at 6:44 am|By Bristol Ainsley, Staff Reporter
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Beaufort County voters on Nov. 3 gave a thin green light to a 1 percent sales tax expected to bring in $780 million across nine years for 87 roadway and intersection jobs, with Hilton Head Island sites on the list.
Every precinct is in. The penny measure won 40,951 to 39,724, separating the sides by 1,227 ballots in the early count. A related bond question that would let the county borrow as much as $450 million to get started sooner also won, 42,660 to 40,276.
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Planners have flagged Spanish Wells Road at William Hilton Parkway on the island for turn lanes and newer signals, plus heavy corridors such as U.S. 278 through Bluffton and Highways 170 and 46 around Okatie.
Leaders call the program the biggest transportation buildout the county has ever funded. It is the eighth such tax ask since 1996. Voters turned down a $950 million version two years ago after earlier wins in 1998, 2006 and 2018.
Turnout hit a midterm high. Registration and Elections Director Jean Felix reported 86,689 ballots countywide, equal to 61 percent of registered voters, and 46,300 of those came in during early voting. Collections are slated to start in May.
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Bristol is a staff reporter for HERE Hilton Head covering local news, community stories, and developments across Beaufort County. Bristol is committed to accurate, community-first journalism.
