Personal Injury Attorney in Hilton Head, SC.

BEAUFORT — The State Infrastructure Bank has denied a key piece of funding for the long awaited Hilton Head Island bridge project.

The decision by the SIB board comes weeks after Beaufort County met a tight deadline to present a scaled back plan for the multi-million-dollar project. That solution came with a new problem: The revised plan doesn't meet the scope originally agreed to by the SIB.

The project isn't dead yet. There will be opportunity for the county to meet and discuss revisions, SIB board chairman John White said during the group's May 12 meeting.

"We understand the seriousness of this. We understand the need," White said. "We're left with passing something that is not a part of our contract. There are provisions there in violation. We'll let the lawyers deal with that and the staff."

The scaled-back project to replace Hilton Head's span of bridges was approved by Beaufort County Council in March. It took several years, hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees and a threat of rescinded funding from the SIB to reach that point.

The original scope looked to build a new six-lane bridge with corridor improvements on the island. As debate over final design dragged on, the estimated cost skyrocketed to $499 million.

The county had a plan to cover the price tag. A $950 million sales tax referendum would have implemented a 1 percent sales tax for 10 years, with the goal of improving the county's transportation infrastructure. About $90 million was earmarked for the bridge project.

About 55 percent of county voters struck the referendum down.

On Nov. 7, the State Infrastructure Bank, which pledged $120 million to the project, sent a letter requesting a plan to address the $190 million shortfall.

In early January, state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, suggested a new course of action: "Do the best we can with the money we have."

In other words, scale back the $499 million plan that called for a new six-lane bridge. Scrap the "add ons," which included features like pedestrian pathways, a breakdown lane and corridor expansion on the island. Simplify the project.

Town and county leaders have spent the past few months doing just that.

A new plan came together. It calls for demolition of the existing eastbound bridge over Mackay Creek and the construction of a new bridge from the mainland to Jenkins Island.

"It got down to the eleventh hour, but right now we've got a bridge that only has two lanes going one way," White said, "and our contract had a scope of a bridge with two lanes going both directions."

A system of two eastbound and two westbound bridges provide the only way to and from Hilton Head Island.

The S.C. Department of Transportation built the Mackay Bridge in 1956 and widened it in 1984. The state agency inspects all bridges in South Carolina at least every two years. Due to the age and condition of the MacKay Bridge, DOT inspects it annually.

An inspection in January 2024 rated the structure and substructure as “poor.” While the bridge is safe to drive over, it is approaching the end of its life and has been placed on a statewide priority list.

If the county and town fail to finalize a funding plan in a matter of weeks, it's likely the DOT will step in and replace only the deficient span of bridge. This scenario would scrap the planned project and cause serious congestion issues on and off the island while construction is underway.

County council members were briefed on the situation during their May 12 meeting. Davis once again offered a way forward.

He suggested the county address the SIB's concerns, which include clarification on when and how the secured funding will be used, and the development of a more detailed cost estimate.

"I spoke with Chairman White. He wants to figure out a way to move this project forward," Davis said. "There's some work to do in a very abbreviated period of time, but I don't want the feeling of this council to be that this project is dead. That is not the case."

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- A male sperm whale washed ashore on Hilton Head Island over the weekend and drew dozens of onlookers to Coligny Beach days later. Crews worked throughout Monday to conduct a necropsy and bury the massive marine mammal's feet beneath the sand, WJCL reported.

According to NOAA officials, the 30-foot male whale was underweight for its size, which raised concerns about its health prior to beaching. Clay George, a marine mammal biologist with NOAA Fisheries, explained that researchers examined the whale for signs of entanglement or vessel strikes. However, it could take months to determine the exact cause of the beaching.

"It's pretty sad, but it's what any whale does," said Regina Laboe, a visitor to Hilton Head Island for the week.

For many visitors, the sight of the beached whale was a rare and somber experience.

"I've seen sharks, I've seen stingrays, you name it. But never a beached whale," Laboe said.

This marks the fifth beached whale in South Carolina since 2005. Sperm whales, known to beach themselves when in poor health, are a rare sight on the state's shores. The whale was first spotted on Saturday, with a nearby hotel staff member capturing a photo of the scene.

Tourists and locals alike gathered to watch as crews conducted the necropsy and prepared the whale for burial.

"We walked probably a mile and a half to get here," said Steve Doll, visiting from Tennessee. "I've never seen a whale up close. This is about as close as I'll ever get."

When asked by WJCL 22 News if the whale could've been put back in the ocean, George said that would've caused more harm than good for the whale. That thought led crews to the decision to euthanize the 20,000-pound adolescent male sperm whale Sunday night

Monday evening, the whale was buried deep enough to prevent other animals from disturbing it.

"I love the fact that they're doing the right thing and burying it where it came out, rather than taking it away," said Christy Doll, who was also visiting from Tennessee.

While the cause of the beaching remains unknown, NOAA researchers say the burial process ensures the whale will soon decay underneath the sand, where no other animal will reach it. They added that in a few weeks, it will be as if it never washed ashore.

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