So … how did your candidate do in the vote?
By Lolita Huckaby
BEAUFORT
By the time you read this column, we should know the results of the school board’s $439 million bond referendum, who’s the next mayor of Port Royal and Fripp Island’s $5.25 million infrastructure bond referendum.
No surprises here. But it’s a certain bet there will still be a plethora of political signs along the roadway, at least in the city of Beaufort, reminding voters we’ll be voting for a new mayor in five weeks on December 12.
Remember, the city election is a special election, to elect someone to serve as mayor for the next year, filling the unexpired term of former Mayor Stephen Murray. There’s a lot of people on Lady’s Island who care about the outcome of this race since the commercial village development along Sea Island Parkway is within the territorial control of the Beaufort City Council, thanks to annexations. But the people who live there on the island and drive that Parkway, aren’t within the city limits and don’t have a vote. But that’s old news.
Likewise, lots of non-Port Royal residents are eagerly watching the results of that municipality’s mayoral race. As most know, it pits an incumbent mayor and a town councilman, both running campaigns on how to control the rapid growth of the town and the future that Safe Harbor will bring.
And not to jump too far ahead of ourselves, there’s this national election next year, in 2024, with a presidential race we’re already hearing a lot about. Not to mention, our state Representatives will be on the ballot as well as our Congressional candidates and half of the County Council.
Maybe we should just go back to “re-imagining Ribaut Road” with three traffic circles or wondering where the county’s weighted blankets are going.
Thank you, Shannon Erickson
BEAUFORT – State Rep. Shannon Erickson, in her true constituent advocate style, shared some valuable information this past weekend, via Facebook.
In response to primarily online concerns about the recent unscheduled closures of Woods Memorial Bridge to car traffic, Erickson made some calls to her S.C. Department of Transportation friends who reported the problems were being caused by malfunctioning safety gates. And guess what, they’re having trouble getting the parts.
In the midst of the Intracoastal Waterway’s “snow bird” season, as boaters head south for the winter, constituents were quick to point out most of the motorists experiencing inconvenient delays, or lengthy detours over the McTeer Bridge were working folks, not vacationers. Erickson reminded those she’s been working with county and city officials and the U.S. Coast Guard to strengthen the 7 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday restrictions against bridge openings except for commercial boats like barges and tugs.
Now that the 64-year-old bridge named for Highway Patrolman Richard V. Woods, who was killed in the line of duty, is on the National Register of Historic Places, it would be difficult, if not impossible to replace as the Harbor Island Bridge swing bridge was replaced in 2021 by a fixed-span towering bridge.
And for those who believe a third bridge connecting Beaufort and the islands is an alternative, a study of that possibility is on the county’s list of long-range studies. (see Lowcountry Area Transportation Plan, 2045 Long Range Transportation Projects, a 170-page document which guides federal funding for projects throughout Beaufort and Jasper County. LATS LRTP Cover Final – May (revize.com)
There have already been studies done, the latest released in 2011 when four crossing sites were identified, the less intrusive being at Bellamy Curve. But county officials opted not to adopt that plan and it has been sitting on a shelf ever since.
In the mean time, it is suggested motorists stopped by the bridge, cut off their engines, take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery. Try to forget you’re late for church or a meeting. “I’m late because of the bridge” is a generally accepted excuse.
Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions. Her goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.
