The Hilton Head Island Town Council on Tuesday agreed to work cooperatively with Beaufort County to advance the William Hilton Parkway Corridor Project, including hiring an independent consultant to conduct end-to-end analysis and simulation of the proposed corridor improvements.
In a 4-3 vote, Town Council passed a resolution authorizing the Town to participate in a revised Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Beaufort County that lays out the path forward for the project. The project began in 2017 when the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) identified a need to improve the westbound bridge that connects the mainland to Hilton Head Island. The project is currently in a preliminary design stage and an environmental assessment process.
"This is a long-term endeavor between the Town and Beaufort County. There will be further collaborative work for us to complete together as this project goes forward. I would like to thank County Council Chairman Joe Passiment and his team for working with the Town to develop this agreement. It puts us in a place to begin addressing the feasibility and merits of this project," said Mayor John McCann.
"With adoption of the resolution and execution of the MOA, we will facilitate the additional studies needed to provide a better understanding of project details and corresponding impacts. This will help to inform recommendations for improvements to the bridge, the corridor, and potential project mitigation," said Shawn Colin, Assistant Town Manager-Community Development.
Under the Memorandum of Agreement, the Town of Hilton Head Island and Beaufort County will:
- Establish a six-person committee comprised of representatives from the Town and County to select an independent consultant through a competitive bid process. The consultant will perform an independent review of the project, including an end-to-end evaluation of the entire corridor. The evaluation may lead to recommendations that could enhance the project.
- Coordinate with the SCDOT to perform a "value engineering" analysis of the project, a process to identify and eliminate unwanted costs, and optimize initial and long-term investment, ultimately seeking the best value for the lowest cost.
- Work together, along with the SCDOT and the Lowcountry Area Transportation Study, to design, implement and maintain a connected and synchronized signal system along the entire length of US 278 from I-95 to Sea Pines Circle.
Original source can be found here.
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